


hold on to my heart

by itsmylifekay



Series: Kid Liam [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Kid!Liam, M/M, Parent Fic, complete and total fluff, the ziam is pretty minor just gonna put that out there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-23
Updated: 2014-05-23
Packaged: 2018-01-26 05:16:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 32,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1676090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsmylifekay/pseuds/itsmylifekay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A chance encounter changes Louis' life, making it infinitely more hectic but also so much more worthwhile.</p><p>Or, Louis meets Harry and his son Liam, becomes hopelessly in love with his new little family, and this fic follows their story as they go through all the shit that comes with raising a child together and just making it all work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	hold on to my heart

**Author's Note:**

> I'm actually really proud of this fic, it started as an idea and grew into something much more substantial. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> title taken from Strong
> 
> Enjoy!

\-------

Louis was pretty much done with life at this point, really. He had been up all night going over project proposals and budget drafts, reading until all of the seemingly endless rows of numbers had become blurs in front of his bloodshot eyes and his alarm clock was blaring at him (mockingly, he was sure of it) from across the room. Then his coffee maker had decided to go on the fritz, refused to turn on until he had banged it unceremoniously against the counter a few times, and when it did hum to life with a grinding, hiccupping kind of sound, it wasted no time in exploding coffee grounds all over the front of one of his favorite button downs. Changing quickly, he had just barely made it to his first meeting of the morning, getting judgmental looks from the other members of the board before having to go off on a spiel about eco-friendly light switch casings and their effect on the company when quite honestly he couldn’t give a flying fuck.

Then had come more proposals. And more numbers. And hours upon endless hours of caffeine deprived hell until he thought he would go mad. (He couldn’t remember being that wound and out of sorts except for his stressful university days). So when it finally came time to clock out, Louis had left the building with his eyes already half-closed and drug himself to the tube in a zombie-like state, not caring about anything besides getting back to his flat and falling into bed.

Which is why he was less than thrilled when, stepping off the platform and heading towards the exits, he was nearly knocked off balance by something slamming into his shins- _hard_. Blinking rapidly and stumbling like an idiot, he had been just about to open his mouth and let out a string of very choice words to whatever idiot had been stupid enough to ram their bag into him when he was interrupted by someone shouting, “Liam!” and rushing to his side.

“What?” he asked, because last time he checked his name wasn’t Liam, and he was not in the mood for dealing with some con man looking for money from a ‘long lost mate’. He turned to his side to say as much when he was stunned into silence by said man suddenly kneeling in front of him, head bent to reveal a mop of curly hair tamed into submission by an army green headband.

And holy fucking hell what was happening?

“Look, I don’t know wh-”

“I’m so sorry,” the man suddenly said, looking up at Louis with large green eyes that Louis found himself caught in. “He doesn’t like the tube station.”

He? Who the fuck was ‘he’ because Louis didn’t see anyone else and if this was some ‘I’m going to talk in the third person’ kind of bullshit he was so not dealing with that.

Then the man was standing, and standing, legs unraveling until he was standing at least half a head above Louis’ wide eyes. His gaze snapped from the man’s eyes to that ridiculous headband and then abruptly downwards when a small whimper came from the man’s chest. Louis watched in stunned silence as the man quickly bent down to kiss a twin mop of brown curls, brushing some of them away to reveal the innocent, round face of a little boy.

Louis blinked rapidly and forced himself to focus on the small boy instead of the ridiculously large and attractive person holding him. He wasn’t quite sure what was happening anymore.

“So,” the man drawled, low voice leaving Louis’ mind even more stupefied than it had been before because _fuck_ not even the ocean was that deep. “We’re really sorry. Isn’t that right, Liam?” He nudged the boy in his arms and Louis caught a swift head nod that the man smiled rather dopily at. “I’m Harry, by the way.” The man said, turning his still smiling face back in Louis’ direction. He adjusted the boy into one of his arms and Louis’ eyes were immediately drawn to the bulge of a sculpted bicep beneath a straining tee. And fucking hell how was this guy real?

He belatedly realized a hand was being held in his direction and he reached out and shook it quickly. “Louis,” he said. And why the fuck he was introducing himself to perfect strangers in the middle of the tube he’d never know. He’d blame it on his questionable lucidity at the moment.

“Louis,” Harry hummed. “Well, Louis, we’re very sorry for running into you.”

“Running into me?” Louis wondered, then suddenly remembered the smack to his shins just minutes (had it really only been minutes) before. “Oh, that. Yeah it’s fine, was just a bit out of sorts is all.”

Harry’s brow crinkled in earnest concern. “Bad day?”

“Yeah,” Louis blew out a breath. The ceaseless thrum of rush hour traffic buzzed around them, a jumble of people and voices that was a much a part of Louis as it was the city. “Yeah, you could say that.”

Harry shifted the boy, Liam, to his other arm and dug in his back pocket for something, drawing Louis’ attention to his legs and the ridiculously tight jeans that covered them. Seriously, those things must’ve been fucking painted on.

“Well, would a free dinner make it better?”

“Huh?” Louis jerked at the question, tearing his gaze back up to Harry’s open expression.

“Dinner, like, free food, would you like something to eat?”

Louis’ brow furrowed and he opened his mouth to speak, “I couldn’t-”

“I have a coupon,” Harry interrupted, like that answered any question Louis could’ve possibly asked. “C’mon, it’ll be fun. It’s Liam’s favorite restaurant. Right, Liam?”

There was another noise from the general area of Harry’s chest, muffled by the fabric stretched there. Harry beamed at him as if he’d understood a word the boy had said. “See? It’ll be great.”

Louis stared at Harry’s inviting smile for a moment, then glanced down at his watch. He was due to eat soon anyway and a little stress relief would probably do him some good, not to mention the pitiful state of his cupboard back home. “Alright,” he said. “Yeah, I could come along.”

-

And that’s how he found himself seated across from Harry Styles, single father extraordinaire, and his adorable but extremely shy son, Liam, at some random restaurant that happened to be just a few minutes walk from his flat.

“So, Louis,” Harry grinned. “What do you think?”

Louis blinked, taking another bite of his meal (some pasta thing that he had deemed safe, the rest of the menu being too difficult to read let alone attempt to pronounce). “Of what?”

“The place?” Harry gestured around them before setting his arm back down, draping it over Liam’s shoulders. “Do you like it?”

“What’s not to like?” Louis shrugged. Then, seeing Harry’s face fall, added. “I mean, yeah, it’s nice.”

“Great to hear it, mate!” A voice grinned from behind him, making him turn in his seat to see a wide smile and soft eyes.

“Uh…” Louis turned back to Harry who was already standing, coming around Louis and wrapping this other man in a hug. Something panged in Louis’ chest but he immediately pushed it down. He hardly even _knew_ Harry for Pete’s sake.

“Ashton!” Harry beamed.

“Hey, Harry.” Ashton laughed back, then leaned around to give Liam a wink. “Hey, Liam.” Then he turned back to Louis and lifted an eyebrow. “And this is…?”

“Louis,” Louis said, standing up to offer his hand and having to stifle a squeak when he was pulled into a hug instead.

“Shit, Harry’s a lucky bastard.” Ashton pulled back and gave Louis a cheeky wink. “You’re exactly his type.”

“Oh, I don’t th-”

“Just met him at the tube station, actually.” Harry smoothly cut in. “Had a bit of a run in, really. This is an apology dinner.”

“Still dinner, though.” A voice called from back in what Louis assumed was the kitchens. “Can still lead to fucking.”

Louis’ face colored brightly and he glanced over to find Harry was in much the same state. “Liam _is_ here you know.” He called back.

“Liam’s smart, he knows not to repeat what I say.” A man emerged from the kitchen, wicked eyes and a teasing smile, hair a wild mess of black and midnight purple. “Isn’t that right, Liam?”

Liam just blushed and started picking at his menu, which was apparently a good sign Louis found, when the man promptly beamed and strode over to slide in next to Liam at the table, pulling a box of crayons from his pocket before handing them over to Liam’s eager hands.

Harry sighed happily. “He loves his Uncle Mikey.”

Ashton snorted and rolled his eyes. “Don’t inflate his ego too much, or he won’t be able to fit his head back through the kitchen door.”

“Which he might want to do soon, since I don’t think this soup is supposed to be turning this color!” Someone else shouted from the kitchen.

And were these people just hiding in the rafters or something?

“What’s with all of the yelling?” A new voice said, emerging from some kind of side door.

Louis rests his case.

“Michael came out to give Liam some crayons, and it smells like Calum is burning something in the kitchen.” Ashton explained, shrugging this shoulders like things like this happened everyday.

And with the way the new man just nodded, Louis had a feeling they did.

“Alright, I’ll go help Calum.”

“Thanks, Luke.” Ashton smiled and squeezed the other man’s shoulder. Then, he turned back to Louis. “So.”

“So…?”

Ashton flickered his eyes purposefully over to where Harry was bent slightly over the table, obviously admiring some of the artwork Liam had done, but with the way his hips were cocked slightly out from the rest of his body…Louis couldn’t help but admire some completely different kinds of things. The man really did have a nice ass, and his legs were fucking unbelievable.

“I wasn’t lying, you know.” Ashton suddenly whispered right beside him, making him jump. “You really are his type.”

Louis lifted an eyebrow. “And? What makes you think he’s mine?”

Ashton stared at him purposefully, eyes flickering from Harry’s exposed stance and back a few times. Louis coughed into his fist.

“Well, either way, we’ve just met and I’m not sure if it would be appropriate for me t-”

“Harry,” Ashton suddenly interrupted. “Louis wants your number.”

Harry turned around slowly, eyes taking in what Louis was sure was a very shocked and unbecoming expression on his part. Harry chuckled softly. “Don’t meddle, Ash. He doesn’t wa-”

“Actually,” Louis interrupted, and thank fuck because he was tired of it being the other way around, he felt like he’d been pulled around by his collar ever since they’d come up from the underground. “If you don’t mind, I’d love to have your number.”

“Really?” Harry’s voice was hopeful and Louis nodded, hoping he was coming off as sincere. Because he was. So sincere. Because Harry was fit as fuck and even just the short time they’d spent talking over dinner had been amazing. He would definitely be willing to give him a call to try an actual date some time.

Harry stood up from the table and came over to Louis’ side, pulling his phone from those ridiculously tight pants (and really, how he fit anything in there anyway, Louis had no idea) before flicking open the screen and opening a blank message. “Number?” He asked, typing it in as Louis slowly listed it out, then sending off a text. Louis felt his own phone vibrate in his pocket. “There, good to go.” Harry smiled, tucking his phone away.

“Good to go,” Louis repeated, then cursed himself when he realized how stupid it probably sounded. But Harry was still smiling at him so it couldn’t have been too bad. “I guess I’ll be calling you later, then.”

Harry nodded absently for a moment before suddenly going, “Oh, are you leaving then? You haven’t finished your dinner. Or had dessert.”

“I know, but I should really head out. I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night and still have a few proposals to go over for some sh-” he glanced at Liam from the corner of his eye. “stupid meetings I have tomorrow morning. So I’d love to box the rest of that up, and have a rain check on dessert.” Then, feeling risky and definitely sleep-deprived, he threw in a wink and a cheeky smile.

Harry nodded in understanding, smiling widely as the others coughed awkwardly around them, Liam coloring bright designs into the papery tablecloth.

\---

“I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking, Niall. Honestly, I don’t.” Louis ranted, pacing back and forth across the limited space of his office while Niall watched smugly from his desk, reclined back with his feet up. “And get your fucking shoes off my paperwork, you asshole.”

Niall laughed and showed no sign of moving. “You saw a fit lad, he took you to dinner for letting his kid run you over, and you exchanged numbers. What’s the problem, mate?”

“The _problem_ is that I had never met this guy before and I gave out my personal cell number and probably looked like a complete mess and” He stopped for a moment to pinch the bridge of his nose. “and I flirted, Niall. I flirted heavily. This is why I should never be allowed out without my proper four hours of sleep and two cups of coffee.”

“I’ll deal with your sick sleeping habits later, but you are not changing the subject.”

Louis glared at him. Niall smiled.

“You should give him a call.”

“No, not happening.” Louis shook his head and started pacing again. “No way, not in a million years.”

“Why not?”

“Because- Because-” Louis searched for a reason but ended up throwing his hands up in frustration instead. “Because I’m just not fucking going to that’s why.”

“Because you actually think you might like him.” Niall helpfully supplied, the little fucker grinning like a madman while his shoes continued to crinkle Louis’ papers. “You’re scared of him. Big bad Louis Tomlinson scared of some mysterious stranger and his cute little son.”

“Oh fuck off, Horan.”

“Oh burn, last name relegation. I’m wounded, Louis, truly I am.”

Louis threw him another glare.

“So what’s his name anyway?”

A glare that apparently did nothing, as per usual, seeing as Niall Horan was an impenetrable orb of glowing sunshine that not even the apocalypse would ever be able to shatter.

Louis sighed and leaned against the wall, thumping his head there in agony. “Harry…Harry Styles.”

The room was dead silent for a beat, and then sudden, raucous laughter erupted and echoed around the room as Niall doubled over, feet dropping from the desk as he pulled his legs in on himself, absolutely losing it.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Louis snapped, not getting why that name would mean anything.

Heaving in a few deep breaths, Niall wiped at his eyes before glancing up at Louis, still chuckling. “Harry Styles? Yeah, the little boy’s name was Liam, right?”

Louis’ eyes widened. No fucking way in hell. Life could not possibly be that cruel. “How do you know that?”

“Because Harry and I have been best fucking mates since University.”

“No. He’s _that_ Harry? You’re shitting me. Please tell me you’re shitting me.”

Niall positively howled. “Louis cookie-cutter-corporation-businessman Tomlinson’s got a thing for Harry hipster-flower crown-wearing Styles. Life is beautiful! Life is kind! Life is-”

“Extremely overrated.” Louis cut in. “Now excuse me while I go end mine.” He started for the door, not really knowing where he was going since they were having this conversation in _his_ office for fuck’s sake, but he knew he had to go somewhere.

“C’mon Louis,” Niall chided, having calmed down somewhat after seeing Louis was actually upset. “What’s the problem? So he has a thing for herbal tea and organically grown produce, Harry’s a great guy.”

“He owns a fucking ‘atmospheric teashop’, Niall! What the _fuck_ could we possibly have in common?”

“Well,” Niall said slowly. “That tends to be what dates are for. Besides, you said you didn’t have any problems talking over dinner yesterday.”

“But fuck, that was-”

“That was you, and Harry, having dinner. And talking. Like a date, but with extras. You’re being overdramatic. Just call him.”

Louis glared, really wishing he had the power to smite, or at least make things burst into flames. “I hate you.”

“Love you too, Louis.” Niall crowed, hopping to his feet and scooping Louis’ phone from his desk before coming over to press it into his hands. “Now give him a call, yeah? I’m sure he’d love to hear from you.”

\---

Louis flopped down onto his couch with a huff. Dinner had been…good, actually. Which was weird. And unexpected. But apparently that was a thing with Harry Styles, the unexpected.

First with the run in at the station, the connection with Niall, and then the phone call…

_Louis breathes out anxiously, tapping his foot as the line rings. Half of him praying it goes to voice mail and the other half of him praying he spontaneously combusts on the spot and never has t-_

_“Hello?” And Harry’s slow drawl is exactly the way Louis remembers it. Fuck._

_“Ehm, hi, it’s Louis.”_

_“Louis,” he can practically feel Harry’s smile across the line. “How’re you? Feeling better?”_

_“Wha- oh, ah, yeah. Actually slept like a normal person last night. Aha, but, uh, was wondering if you maybe wanted to get dinner sometime, make up for that dessert I missed or something? My treat.”_

_“That’d be lovely.”_

_“So when did you…”_

_“I have to pick Liam up from daycare and drop him off with a babysitter but I could be ready by five.”_

_“Five- tonight? Oh, yeah, okay that’s fine. I don’t get off work until five so could we make it six? That alright?”_

_“Yeah, I’ll just tell Luke to put Liam to bed if we’re out past his bedtime.”_

_“Alright then…see you tonight, I guess?”_

_“Yup, bye Lou.” Harry half hummed, voice echoing in Louis’ ears long after the call had ended._

And that’s how dinner had been as well. They’d decided to meet in front of a restaurant so they didn’t have to deal with traffic (and because, as Louis would later find out, Harry didn’t have a car. He had a bike, with a child seat attached to the back that had some kind of covering contraption he could use if it rained). Louis hadn’t really known what to say to that, so he’d settled for smiling politely and nodding and vowing to check in with Harry next time it rained to see if Liam didn’t need to be picked up from daycare.

The food had been good, but the conversation had been better. And even though he and Harry didn’t have a lot in common (fuck you very much Niall Horan), they still found plenty of things to talk about. Their music tastes were similar, but Harry made a promise to take Louis on a ‘journey of further auditory enlightenment’. He also explained to Louis the merit of tattoos then grinned, pleasantly surprised, when Louis revealed he already had plenty of his own.

Louis had his turn being impressed when he accidentally went on a tangent about something from work and Harry kept up with him the entire time, nodding along and even offering some advice at the end, prompting Louis to inquire how Harry knew all of that and learning that he had actually gone to school for business as well. But had chosen to start his own rather than join another. Which would explain how he had met Niall, who went to the same school with a focus in marketing.

And when dessert had come around they had bonded further over their love for chocolate cake, making obnoxiously obscene noises into their forks until other patrons began to glare, before they both dissolved into laughter.

It had been an amazing evening, really, right up to when they split ways, Harry pulling him in for a hug before he could so much as blink. Louis had promised to call again, nose tickled by errant curls, and then he had been released, left with only a smile and the ghostly warmth of arms around him.

He punched at the sofa back, fist pinging against the cushions and nearly smacking him in the face, and he let out another huff. Who the fuck was Harry Styles?

\---

“Lou, I’m so sorry.” Harry huffed into the line. “There’s been an accident and I-”

“What?” Louis asked, panicked. “Are you alright? Where are you? Do I need to come a-”

“Louis, I’m fine.” Harry said, calm voice helping Louis’ shoulders relax. “But could you pick up Liam? I was biking to get him when…” Louis grabbed his keys as Harry continued, thankful he had chosen to drive that day. He was clocking out early but figured he could make up the time some other day. Because this was worth it.

“…just came out of nowhere. I’m just glad it wasn’t worse than it is. I’m going to the hospital with one of the older ladies, she said her family lives in France and I don’t want her to be alone.”

“Yeah, yeah I’m glad everyone’s okay, Haz. Do you need to call the daycare and let them know I'm picking Liam up or…?”

“Yeah, I’ll do that. Thanks, Lou. I’ll see you later.”

The call ended and Louis blew out a breath, shaking his head as he slid into his car. He glanced at the clock on the dash and bit his lip. Liam’s day ended in twenty minutes and it would take at least thirty to get there depending on traffic. Well, not like there was much he could do about it.

-

Forty minutes later Louis found himself strolling up and down the aisles of a local craft store, letting Liam lead him by the hand as they looked at different boxes of crayons and markers and colored pencils. Liam already had a superheroes coloring book clutched tightly under one arm and was looking for the perfect match for Superman’s tights, Batman’s cape, _and_ Green Lantern’s special suit. It was a tough job, apparently, since Liam had been staring at the same display for about five minutes at that point. Louis glanced down at the boy and noted the way he was biting his lip, eyes darting about while his fingers clenched and unclenched against the booklet in his grasp.

Louis knelt to the ground and gave Liam’s hand a squeeze. He and Harry had been dating steadily for about three months but he and Liam still hadn’t become very close. Liam was shy, and Louis wasn’t always the best with kids- let alone the quiet kind. But he knew he had to at least try something. “Hey Liam,” he started, trying to keep his voice light. “Need some help?”

Liam bit his lip harder, little hand tightening in Louis’ grasp.

Louis hummed, trying to think of what to do. “Are you having a hard time choosing? Because that’s okay, it would be hard for me to choose too. There are a lot of things here.” Liam turned his head slightly in Louis’ direction, wide brown eyes glancing up at him quickly before returning to the wall of color in front of them. “How about this,” he reached up and pulled down five different boxes of sixty-four, placing them on the ground at Liam’s feet. “Can you choose one out of those five? Would that be easier?”

Liam nodded and squatted closer to the ground, examining each box closely before pushing one out of the way, then two more. Louis returned them to the shelf and watched as Liam deliberated between the last two. Then, getting an idea, he crouched back down to the ground and gave Liam’s hand a tug. “Liam,” he whispered, glancing around like he had a secret. Liam’s eyes widened, actually looking at Louis for a moment with an interested tilt to his head. “How about if I let you get both boxes, yeah?”

Liam’s eyes lit up and Louis held up a finger, “But,” he said, and watched Liam’s eyebrows furrow. “I’m old and can’t use all of these crayons by myself. So, you have to promise that if I get these, you’re going to come over more often to help me use them. Deal?” He lifted an eyebrow and waited with bated breath for Liam to process what he’d said.

Glancing from Louis, to the boxes, and back again, Liam started to form a small smile, tightening his grip on Louis’ hand before moving it up and down in what Louis was assuming to be a handshake. A deal-sealing kind of handshake. He picked up both boxes of crayons and helped Liam stand, deciding to screw it all a few moments later and scooping Liam up into the crook of his arm, getting smacked in the face by a coloring book for his efforts but getting a blush and a hesitant smile as well. So it was definitely worth it.

They made their purchases, Louis even letting Liam hand over the money (well, not really, he pulled out the money, gave it to Liam, who gave it back to him, and then he gave it to the cashier but Liam had looked quite chuffed with himself either way so Louis considered it a win) and then they were on their way again. Liam was buckled securely into his booster seat, which Louis may or may not have bought specifically for these kinds of moments, because it was entirely pathetic how fast he’d fallen for both the kid and his father. He had some mix tape Harry had made for him playing as they drove down the road and Liam was kicking his feet contentedly in the air, already flipping through his coloring book and tracing over the faces of his favorite heroes with tiny fingers.

-

“Harry, how soon do you think you’ll be here?” Louis asked, trying to hide the urgency in his voice. Because if Harry couldn’t be back soon, there was no need for him to panic. Louis could handle it. He could.

“I don’t know, Lou. The doctors said something about holding her overnight. Why, is something wrong?”

Louis bit his lip. “No, no nothing’s wrong. I was just wondering. Should I put Liam to bed here then?”

Harry breathed out a sigh. “Yeah, that’d be best. Can I say goodnight to him then?”

“Course,” he walked over to where Liam was happily shading in a picture of Wonder Woman and tapped him lightly on the shoulder with the phone. “Daddy’s on the phone.”

Liam took the device from him and pressed it to his ear. Louis stifled a laugh before reaching down and flipping it over in his grasp so that the speaker was pressed to Liam’s ear instead of his mouth. “Try that way, babe.”

He heard Harry say something and Liam smiled. “Hi… daddy,” he mumbled. Then his brow crinkled, eyes flickering to where Louis was still waiting. “Why?” Louis felt his heart fall as Liam turned away again.  “‘kay. Love… too, daddy…. Night.” The phone was pushed back in his direction and Louis took it with numb fingers before walking back to the kitchen.

He tried to tell himself it wasn’t a big deal but he still felt gutted, voice tight as he said, “Harry, Liam doesn’t have to stay here if he doesn’t want. I can call one of the other boys and they can-”

“Lou,” Harry interrupted, a smile in his voice. “What’re you talking about? Course he wants to stay with you.”

“What? But I-”

“He was just confused why I wasn’t there too. It’s fine. Promise.”

Louis nodded even though Harry couldn’t see him, glancing back to where he could see Liam once again coloring happily on the floor. “Alright…if you’re sure.”

Harry’s voice was fond. “Course I’m sure. See you in the morning, yeah?”

“Yeah, see you in the morning.”

The line clicked off and Louis walked back into the living room, running his fingers across the top of Liam’s head before heading around the couch to turn the volume back up on the television.

_The storm is expected to hit at around ten o’clock tonight. We’re expecting severe thunder and heavy rains with winds up to-_

Louis clicked the remote again and the screen went blank. Perfect, just perfect, Liam’s first night in his house and he was already completely unprepared. And now there was going to be a fucking thunderstorm. As if the lack of proper jammies and bedding material wasn’t enough, now he was going to be dealing with whatever reaction Liam had to all of the thunder and lightening.

And Louis had nothing. No books. No kids’ movies. No stuffed animals or printed blankets. Nothing.

He heaved a sigh that had Liam looking up at him curiously. He managed a smile, “Ready for some dinner then?”

Liam nodded and placed the crayon he had been using carefully back in the box, flipping his coloring book closed and arranging everything neatly on the floor before standing and following Louis into the kitchen.

“So,” Louis started, staring into his fridge. “What do you like to eat?” He started rummaging around, thanking the world for small favors that he had just been to the grocery yesterday. “We could do pasta, or salad, or chicken…” he couldn’t cook much, and he knew Harry liked to eat healthy, so their options were pretty limited. He glanced back at Liam and saw the blank look on his face, then lifted a conspiring eyebrow. “Or…we could have cheese toasties.” He whispered. “With the bread grilled with butter.”

He saw Liam look up at him with wide eyes and he nudged him playfully with one socked foot. “I’ll even cut off the crusts for you.”

Liam giggled and shuffled away from Louis’ foot, reaching into the fridge for a juice box (that Louis may have planted there just in case but hey no one could prove anything) that Louis let him have without comment. He was just happy Liam was feeling comfortable enough to be assertive.

He set Liam up at the table, sipping happily at his juice while Louis moved about the kitchen, setting up the stove top and getting out the bread, cheese and butter. By the time the sandwiches were done, Liam had already finished his juice box and was poking the straw back and forth through the cardboard, staring in fascination as it made little squeaking noises. Louis couldn’t help the fond hum that left his lips but redirected it towards the plates he set on the counter, hopping quickly over to the sink to grab the fruit he’d washed before taking everything over to the table.

Liam stared at him and at the food then up at him again before sliding his juice box across the wooden tabletop with a lip between his teeth. “Oh, we want more juice do we?” Louis teased. “Well, how about we have milk or water for dinner.” He quickly continued on before Liam’s face could fall. “But we’ll have fruit ice lollies for dessert, and I’ll make sure you get juice at breakfast, deal?”

Liam nodded slowly and Louis reached his hand across the table. Liam took it and gave it a shake.

“Alright then, eat up.”

-

Dinner had mostly been a silent affair. Louis had chatted a bit, explaining to Liam what had happened exactly (well, mostly exactly, he didn’t want to scare the kid) to keep his father away. Then he had moved on to some stories about Niall that were child appropriate, a number he found rather worryingly small, before settling on some of his own university adventures. Which were heavily edited in some instances. But Liam had nodded along, munching happily at his food, licking the grease from his fingers and popping strawberries into his mouth as Louis regaled him with tales of crazy professors and late night movie marathons.

Then it had been bath time. Which Louis hadn’t really known what to do with at first, considering he only had a shower. He didn’t know if Liam knew how to shower by himself yet (because he’d seen the mountain of bath toys Harry had in their bathroom) and he was not comfortable showering with him or even helping him shower without Harry there. But thankfully Liam had seemed confident enough, listening carefully while Louis explained how to work the shower and told him that he was just going to wait right outside the door, and would check on him every few minutes and to yell or knock or something if there was a problem. He’d turned the water to a lukewarm heat and then left Liam to undress by himself, plopping down right outside the bathroom and listening as Liam stepped into the little cubicle and started washing himself off, splashing about and giggling in the stream of water.

Louis had smiled to himself and shook his head, before being struck with the realization that he hadn’t done anything about Liam’s pajama situation. Calling to Liam that he’d be right back and was just going to his room really quick, he shuffled off and rifled quickly through his drawers, pulling out one of his old sleeping shirts. He went back past the bathroom, checking to make sure Liam was okay, before going quickly to the entry way and digging in Liam’s backpack for the extra pair of boxers he knew Harry packed there. And he had never really understood why Harry did that (because it’s always best to be prepared, Louis), but he was thankful either way, as he made it back to the bathroom just in time to hear the water turn off.

He knocked hesitantly on the door and opened it up just a crack. “Hey Liam, here are some clothes for you to wear for tonight.” He held his arm through the narrow opening and waited for Liam to take the clothes from his grasp. “I’ll be in the kitchen when you’re done.”

A few minutes later, he was stood behind the counter crushing an ice lolly into a small plastic cup when Liam came padding into the kitchen. His hair was a dark mop against his pale skin and Louis nearly felt his heart melt right out his chest looking at the little boy swamped in his shirt, hem dragging nearly to the floor. Grabbing the crushed up treat, he crouched to the ground and ruffled a hand through Liam’s wet curls. “Do you want help drying your hair, then?”

Liam blushed and bit his lip so Louis smiled, handing over the cup before standing and giving Liam’s head another ruffle. “I’ll go grab a towel then, go ahead and get set up on the couch.”

Liam was waiting for him when he got out, slurping happily at his strawberry slushie-thing with his toes dancing off the edge of the cushion. Louis plopped the towel onto his head and reveled in the little giggle it got him. Pushing up a corner of the towel, Liam peeped out at him, large brown eyes crinkled at the corners and mouth stained red around the edges as he smiled.

-

Everything had been pretty tame after that; getting Liam’s hair dried, careful hands pushing at the towel to sop up the lasting wetness; going through the last steps of getting ready for bed, Louis digging out an extra toothbrush and standing outside the door again as Liam did his business; and getting Liam set up in bed, pulling back the covers and waiting for Liam to crawl in before tucking him in. He had placed a tentative kiss to the boy’s forehead before backing out of the room and turning out the light, leaving the door open part way so that Liam would still have some light and be able to hear him moving around the flat.

He could only pray the boy managed to fall asleep before the storm came, and stay asleep when it hit. It was already nine o’clock, so Louis was just hoping Liam was a deep sleeper.

Waiting a half an hour, Louis risked a quick check into Liam’s room, seeing the little boy was asleep before jumping in the shower quickly himself, brushing his teeth and slipping into his own pajamas before settling in on the couch in front of the telly. He flipped on the weather again and sighed at the mass of color moving towards them on the screen. All he could really do was wait.

-

It was nearly eleven when the storm finally hit with a vengeance. It’d been raining for probably about an hour but the first good crack of thunder didn’t come until Louis was nearly falling asleep against the cushions. He jolted upright at the sudden flash of lightening and rumbling boom, holding his breath and waiting for the pitter-patter of small feet running across the floor. But he heard nothing. Another crack of thunder came, lightening brightening the room and casting shadows on the wall and Louis’ brow furrowed, arms pushing him up from the couch so that he could move quietly down the hall, wondering if Liam was really sleeping through all the noise. He peeked in the doorway and immediately rushed to the bed, sitting on the edge of the mattress so that he could run what he hoped were soothing fingers across Liam’s tear-stained face.

“Shhh, shhh, Liam, it’s alright.” He murmured, trying to remember some of things his mum used to say to him. “It’s just a storm. It can’t hurt you.”

Liam made a whimpering noise and scootched himself closer to Louis, dragging all of the blankets with him. He buried his head into Louis’ side and sobbed, small body shaking harder when another bout of thunder rattled the windowpanes.

“Oh Liam…” Louis whispered, petting at Liam’s head. “It’s gonna be alright. I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Liam whimpered again and Louis was sure his heart was breaking. That, and Harry was going to kill him for making his son miserable like this. If he was here, Louis was sure he’d have something planned, something to do. He’d have some song to sing or story to tell…

“Hey Liam,” he whispered, nudging at the other boy. “Do you wanna know why there’s thunder?”

Liam offered no response but Louis continued anyway.

“Well, you see. Thunder is what happens when the Superheroes are playing. They’re all flying around up in the sky, knocking each other over, wrestling. It makes a lot of noise you know. Now it’s not very nice of them to do it while we’re trying to sleep, but they don’t do it often so I think we can forgive them, right?” He poked Liam’s side playfully. “Just picture it, Superman is up there right now, so is Thor. That’s why there’s all the lightening. They’re all just up there having a great big Superhero party.”

Louis went silent and listened as Liam sniffled once, before suddenly sitting up and launching himself into Louis’ lap, wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist until Louis felt like he might die from koala-esque asphyxiation. But he wrapped his arms around Liam either way, pressing a kiss to the fluffy curls at the side of his head before rubbing a hand up and down his back, rocking them back and forth gently. “Yeah, it’s gonna be alright. You’re okay.”

Liam sniffled into his neck and Louis felt wetness start to tickle at his skin there. He winced internally at the knowledge that kid-snot was now smeared on him but decided to consider it a sort of badge of honor. He was now on his way to being an honorary parent, seeing as human-tissue was definitely one of the stages.

They sat there like that for a while, until Liam had calmed down considerably, enough that his breaths were relatively even and he only jumped a little when the next roll of thunder came.

“Hey,” Louis poked at Liam’s side, bouncing him a bit in his lap. “I have an idea.”

Liam rubbed his face against Louis’ neck (smearing even more goo no doubt) but eventually did push back to look at Louis carefully with red rimmed eyes.

“Do you want to build a fort with me?” Louis asked, trying to make it sound as appealing and fun as possible- but who the hell was he kidding, forts sold themselves. “We can even sleep in it and everything.”

Liam stared at him a moment before nodding, clinging tighter to Louis’ neck when Louis began to stand and walk the pair of them into the living room, dragging the wad of blankets from his bed behind them.

-

When morning came, Louis blinked his eyes open lazily. Lifting up one arm to wipe the sleep from his eyes because the other was still partially pinned under Liam’s body, the boy sleeping soundly against his chest, head rising and falling along with Louis’ breaths. He let out a muffled yawn then turned his head to peer out into the room, nearly jumping out of his skin when he saw a set of eyes staring back at him from the other side of the blanket curtain.

Harry waved at him, a stupidly fond smile plastered across his face. (But who was he kidding, he probably had a matching one himself).

“Harry?” He whispered, trying to make sure he didn’t wake the boy still snoring into his shirt. “What’re you doing here?”

“It’s morning. I told you I’d be here.”

Louis blinked at him, then glanced around, noting the light filtering in from the windows. “What time is it?”

“Around nine, I’m surprised you’ve both slept this long.” Then he frowned, looking at them both concernedly. “I heard it stormed here last night, was it a problem?”

Louis shrugged as much as he could. “Maybe a little, but I handled it.”

Harry smiled and looked around the room, “Is this handling it?”

“Maybe,” Louis grinned sheepishly.

Harry laughed. “I like it.”

Tiny fingers pressed into Louis’ chest and he looked down in time to see Liam beat his eyes open slowly before letting out a little yawn, reaching up to pat a sleepy hand over Louis’ mouth, (nearly getting a finger up Louis’ nose in the process, but thankfully Louis had been aware enough to pull his head back in time). Harry giggled from his spot outside the fort and the sound of his father’s laughter seemed to be enough motivation for Liam to flop over to the side and give Harry a look.

“Daddy,” he said.

Harry smiled pleasantly, waving a little. “That’s me.”

Liam rolled back over until his face was pressed close to Louis’ neck, eyes staring intently up at him until Louis turned to face him. Liam blinked, fixing Louis with a very serious look. “Lou,” he whispered, and something inside Louis’ chest clenched painfully tight. “Juice?” he inquired, throwing a quick glance over at his father before turning back to Louis again. “Deal?”

Louis chuckled and reached up to run a hand through Liam’s thick curls, keeping his voice low as he answered. “Deal’s a deal, mate. You’re getting juice even if I have to lock your father in the cupboard!” He lifted his eyebrows playfully and Liam burst into giggles, rolling away from Louis to run into the kitchen, the sound of a chair scraping away from the table following moments later.

Harry looked at him quizzically. Louis shrugged. “Kid likes his juice.”

“You didn’t.” Harry groaned.

“Oh but I did,” then, seeing the pained expression on the other man’s face, he added. “But don’t worry, it’s organic, blah-blah certified, completely recycled packaging etc. etc. juice. So you can’t complain.”

Harry looked at him like he wasn’t quite sure what to say, a mixture of fond and exasperation painting his expression, so Louis decided to stand up and make the decision for him, coming over to give him a quick peck on the lips. “We’ll have fruit and whole wheat toast for breakfast, to balance it out, alright?”

“Alright,” Harry sighed, then he wrapped his arms around Louis’ waist and pulled him closer, buried his head in Louis’ stomach.

Louis dropped his hands down into his hair, letting his fingers push through the curls that were loose, headband around Harry’s neck from where he must’ve pushed it sometime during his stay at the hospital.

“Love you so much, Lou.” Harry whispered. “And I know Liam loves you too.”

Louis felt his throat close up, and he tightened his grip on the strands between his fingers. “Me too, yeah? I love both of you so much it’s completely ridiculous.”

Harry took in a breath before pushing away, resting his chin on one of Louis’ hipbones to stare up at him slightly askew. “Breakfast?”

“On it, you wanna shower?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“Course I don’t mind, you can grab spare clothes from my room if you want.” He looked up and down Harry’s frame then frowned. “Not that anything will fit you, you giraffe. You can check the laundry, something of yours might be there.”

Harry grinned and stood up, pecking Louis on the cheek before heading towards the bathroom. “I’ll try my luck with your clothes, it’ll be a good family bonding moment.”

Louis flushed bright red and stammered helplessly as Harry disappeared down the hall, leaving him to walk dazedly into the kitchen where Liam was already set up at the table with a juice box cradled in his grip.

Louis lifted an eyebrow. Liam looked at him with wide, brown eyes.

“Finish that before your dad’s done showering and I’ll slip you another for breakfast.”

Liam’s lips stretched wide around the straw between his teeth, eyes crinkling tightly at the corners, and Louis had never felt quite so loved before.

\---

“Hey babe, tough day at work?” Louis asked, going to stand next to Harry at the kitchen counter and rubbing at his back.

Harry nodded and dropped his head between his shoulders, elbows leaning on the gray countertop so that Louis could get behind him and start working on the knots around his spine. “Matty couldn’t make it in today.” Harry groaned as explanation.

Louis made a concerned noise at that. If Matty hadn’t been in, then that meant Harry had been on his own. And a shipment had been expected, meaning Harry had not only been alone, but had been alone hauling crates into storage on top of keeping up with the shop. He dug his thumbs into the muscles just beneath Harry’s shoulder blades. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“Because you were working.”

“So?” Louis huffed indignantly. “I would’ve figured something out. I could’ve made Niall go or something. He never does anything useful.”

“I think Niall might take offense at that.” Harry laughed and Louis’ hands fell from his back as he stood and turned around, wrapping large hands around Louis’ hips and pulling him close. His eyes crinkled at the corners and he leaned in to press a chaste kiss to Louis’ lips. “Thank you though, for the thought.”

“Always thinking of you,” Louis murmured. He then ducked forward and closed the small space between them to give Harry a proper kiss, prodding his lips open with an insistent tongue and letting out a happy groan when Harry complied and slid one hand up to the small of Louis’ back, fingers just grazing at the curve of his bum.

After a few more moments, they reluctantly pulled apart, Louis dragging his teeth along Harry’s lower lip and drawing one last soft groan from the taller man. “Louis,” Harry whispered, knocking their foreheads together and digging his fingers into Louis’ sides.

“I know babe, soon.” Louis murmured. “Michael and Luke are watching him this weekend, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Harry sighed. “Yeah they are.”

“Liam loves going over there, you know that.” Louis reassured, scratching his nails at Harry’s back.

“I know,” Harry said softly. “And they love seeing him too.”

They stood there in silence for a few moments until Harry let out a sigh and tilted his head to catch Louis in another kiss that Louis easily fell into. Harry’s mouth was pretty much a sin, after all.

It wasn’t until they heard the pitter-patter of little feet that they pulled apart again.

Liam ran into the kitchen and stared at the both of them, considering them with wide eyes before wedging himself between their legs. “Daddy, Lou, hungry!” They both laughed as they pulled apart and Harry crouched down to scoop his son into his arms.

“You’re hungry?” He asked. “Well what do you think we should do about that?”

Liam wasted no time in jerking in Harry’s arms and demanding, “Dinner!”

“Dinner?” Harry exclaimed, jostling Liam in his arms. Liam giggled and kicked lightly at Harry’s side. “Well,” Harry continued. “I guess it’s a good thing I’ve already got food started then.”

“Nuggets?” Liam asked hopefully.

Louis hid a smile behind his hand while Harry sighed. “No, Liam, no chicken nuggets.” (Ever since Louis had given Liam a treat one evening home together, the boy had been craving little else, much to his father’s chagrin. But in Louis’ defense, he had made sure to buy the organic kind.)

Liam pouted and looked towards Louis hopefully. “Sorry mate,” Louis shrugged. “No chicken nuggets tonight. We’re having pasta and veggies. But it’s still yummy, right? And daddy worked hard to make it for you.”

“Daddy?” Liam said, looking up at Harry through his lashes and resting little hands on Harry’s shoulders, fingers clenching and unclenching nervously in the fabric of his shirt.

“Yes?”

“Juice?”

“Liam,” Harry sighed, forehead crinkling as he looked down at his hopeful son. Louis knew Harry didn’t like for Liam to have too much sugar in his diet, or get too used to having juice as anything other than a treat. And, since he tended to be the handler of the treats, he thought it was time for him to step in and try to save the situation.

“Can I?” Louis asked, stepping forward and holding out his arms. With an only slightly suspicious glance, Harry nodded and passed Liam over, who easily wrapped his arms around Louis’ neck instead. “Lou?” he whispered. “Juice?”

Louis took a few steps away from Harry (more for the effect than anything else, since he knew Harry could still hear what was being said), and shook his head. “No juice tonight, Liam. I’m sorry. But,” he quickly added, tilting his head to catch Liam’s eyes. “What if we did something else special?”

He could see Harry cocking a brow at him from where he’d leaned one hip into the counter, arms crossed and looking as fit as the day Louis had first met him. But that was beside the point. He cleared his throat and focused all of his attention back to the boy in his arms. “What if, after you ate all of your food, we did something together? We could watch a movie, or play with your action figures, or-”

“Comics?” Liam eagerly asked, and Louis was too happy about his excitement to correct his interrupting.

“You want to read comics?” Louis asked. “Which ones?” (He already knew the answer but he wanted Liam to say it anyway.)

“Batman.”

“Batman it is then.” (Or at least the edited version of Batman, thanks to Louis’ slight corrections to make it more toddler friendly.)

Louis playfully poked Liam’s soft tummy before walking over to the table and plopping the boy down in his chair. Harry was back at the oven finishing up the last steps to fixing dinner so Louis headed for the cabinets to start pulling out plates and cups and silverware. “We’ll finish up that one we started last weekend, yeah?” Louis asked over his shoulder.

“Yeah.” Liam answered back. Louis could hear Liam’s feet start bouncing against the legs of his chair and smiled as he turned back around. Liam was still so young, not even in primary school yet, and had the uncanny ability to reduce both Louis and Harry to a puddle of goo with a pout of his bottom lip. But they were both getting better, stronger, about resisting Liam’s charms (much to the young boy’s chagrin), by throwing out things like compromises or distractions, not quite ready to take the steps towards blatant refusal yet. They were just fortunate that Liam hardly warranted such actions. The kid was practically an angel.

He had been in time out exactly one time: throwing a tantrum because he hadn’t gotten his afternoon nap. And in reality, it had been more of a delayed naptime than an actual time out and Liam had practically run to his room himself as soon as they got in the door, but Harry insisted it counted so Louis was obliged to agree.

He was, after all, just as wrapped around Harry’s finger as he was Liam’s. It was a pitiful state he had gotten himself into but he wouldn’t change it for the world.

\---

Harry gave his hand a squeeze and Louis swallowed nervously before squeezing back.

“It’ll be fine, Lou.” Harry murmured, pressing his forehead into the side of Louis’ head to whisper in his ear. “We practically live together as it is.”

“Yeah I guess, but it’s still going to be a change.” Louis glanced nervously towards the door to his bedroom, knowing Liam was waiting in the living room on the other side.

“You’re right,” Harry shrugged. “But I still say it’ll be fine. He likes you, he likes your flat, and it’s not like we’re moving to a different country. It’s practically just down the street.” He nodded thoughtfully then added. “I bet it’ll be less of a challenge than it was getting him started at school, and that was even with him used to daycare. He’s already used to staying here so I really don’t see it being an issue.”

Louis groaned up at the ceiling, because fuck Harry Styles for always being so reasonable. “Alright, whatever, let’s just get this over with so I can stop feeling like shit for getting so worked up over it.”

“Awww, but I think it’s cute.” Harry cooed, completely not helping his case.

Louis scowled at him for a good few seconds before resolutely shoving open the door and dragging them both to the living room.

They’d chosen to have the conversation here, in Louis’ home, in order to reinforce that it was about to be Liam’s home too. That they could all sit and talk and make big decisions and be safe in the (somewhat but not really) new space.

“Liam,” Harry called, drawing the boy’s attention away from where he was flicking through a picture book. Something with ducks and well worn corners. “Can you come sit with us please?”

The little boy nodded then pushed himself to his feet, walking over to where Harry and Louis had sat on the couch and climbing up to be in between them.

“So,” Harry began. Liam stared up at him expectantly. Louis kind of wanted to be sick. “We have something that we’d like to ask you, to make sure that you think it’s a good idea as well.” At that point, Harry turned to meet Louis’ eyes and gave him a nod. They had discussed that it should be Louis to propose the move, as a way to show that it was Louis inviting Harry and Liam to live _with_ him. That the move was a way to be closer to Louis, and not just leaving their old home behind.

Louis cleared his throat. “I was wondering if you and your daddy wanted to come live with me, here. The room you usually sleep in would be your room, and your daddy and I would be right across the hall. You, uh, well, I suppose not much would change really, you would just be living here instead of where you are now.”

Harry waited until he was sure Louis was done before adding, “You’d still go to the same school, see the uncles, and everything else. We’d just be staying here all the time, with Louis.” He gave it a moment to sink in then asked, “What do you think? Do you want to?”

Liam’s little brow furrowed as he looked between Harry and Louis, a small frown forming on his face. Dread began to pool in Louis’ stomach and he clenched his eyes shut. He knew this had been a stupid idea. He knew it had been too soon. He should’ve convinced Harry to wait; they should’ve worked harder at acclimating the boy; they should’ve-

A sudden nudge to his shoulder had Louis glancing back at Harry, who directed his eyes to Liam’s face. Liam’s eyes were flickering all around the room, to his toys stacked by the wall, to the children’s books lined up on the shelf, and then to Harry and Louis beside him. And Louis realized he didn’t look angry or upset, he just looked very, _very_ confused.

“What’s wrong, Liam?” Louis asked, wrapping an arm around the younger boy’s shoulders.

Liam bit his lip and kicked his legs against the cushions and both he and Harry sucked in a breath, waiting patiently for Liam to collect his thoughts.

“Thought…live here…already…” Liam finally said. He turned to look at both Harry and Louis in turn then stared down at the floor dejectedly. Harry chuckled and pulled Liam into a tight hug.

“We do, Liam, don’t we? But we just wanted to make sure you were okay not to live in our _other_ house anymore.”

Liam shrugged and gave his father a face like he couldn’t believe he’d been asked that, looking way more sassy than any kid his age had any right to be. Harry practically beamed, turning to Louis with a smile wide enough to split his face.

Louis was in shock. He couldn’t believe Liam was actually miffed he and Harry had the gall to say this wasn’t his home. It was more than he could ever have hoped for. Overcome with relief and love, Louis ducked down and buried his face in Liam’s hair, pressing a soft kiss to the crown before a hand at his neck was pulling him back up. Harry grinned cheekily at him for a moment, mouthing a quick ‘I told you so’ before leaning in and covering Louis’ mouth with his own. There was a quick flash of tongue, just enough to leave Louis slightly dazed, and then Harry was pulling back again, smiling at him like an idiot over the top of Liam’s head.

“We’ll start packing tonight, then.” Harry said. “And since half our stuff is already here, I bet we could be moved by the end of the week.”

“Yeah,” Louis murmured, still pretty stunned. “Yeah, sounds perfect.”

He could already picture the extra clothes in the wash, the extra body in his bed, and all the new hiding places he’d have to find for Liam’s treats.

“I’d better call the boys then, see if they’re free to help.” He reached for his phone but Harry stopped him.

“They’re free. I already asked them last weekend.”

Louis shook his head at the twinkle in Harry’s eyes and sighed before flopping back on the couch. “Of course you did, you overconfident bastard.”

Liam made a small sound from where he was back to looking through his book on the ground and Louis groaned.

Looks like he was going to be forking up more money for the swear jar as well.

\---

“Louis, I just don’t know what to do.” Harry buried his head in his hands, his voice catching as he slumped in on himself. “What do I tell him?” He mumbled. “What can I do to help? I just don’t understand…”

Louis was breaking inside. Having to see Harry this way, distraught and defeated, it was tearing at his heart. It was even more painful knowing the cause was the ignorance and cruelty of people who just didn’t understand and didn’t try to.

Louis laid a careful hand on Harry’s shoulder. “There’s nothing to understand, some people are just horrible.” Harry shook his head weakly and Louis took in a breath, preparing himself for what he was about to say. “As for what you can do, I- I may have an idea but I’m not sure if-”

“What is it?” Harry lifted his head and caught Louis’ hand in his own, easily dwarfing it before pulling it to his chin. “I’ll do anything, Louis. Anything.”

“You could send him to another school.”

Harry sucked in a breath. “Louis, I can’t. We can’t. I’ve looked into it and- there’s not enough money, and Liam he- no one seems to see him the way we do, Louis. No one sees the same brilliant little boy that we can.”

“That’s because they’re all a bunch of wankers,” Louis smoothed his thumb across the backs of Harry’s knuckles. “And you’re forgetting I have connections. I might be able to talk to some people, pull a few strings…”

Louis wasn’t even able to finish his sentence before Harry was pulling him into his arms, dragging Louis across the couch so Harry could properly crush him into his chest. “Louis,” Harry muttered right into his ear, sending little shivers down Louis’ spine that he tried valiantly to suppress. “Are you serious? Could you do that?”

“Course, like I’d let Liam stay in a place like that, those fuckers don’t deserve him.” He pulled back enough so that he could look into Harry’s eyes. “They’re not worthy of providing education to Liam James Styles, so we’ll just find a place that is.”

Harry sniffled and Louis wiped at the wetness under his eyes, because seeing little lines streaked across Harry’s cheeks fucked with his mind in ways he couldn’t comprehend.

“Thank you, Lou. What would we do without you?”

Louis shuddered at the thought, trying to remember back to a time when they hadn’t had each other in their lives and not quite managing. His mind had blocked out those memories in favor of the new, improved ones. Ones with two sets of large eyes, and twin messes of curly hair he was perpetually running his fingers through. Ones with headbands and band shirts, button downs and tiny trainers. Ones with three places set at the table instead of just one. He bit his lip and tightened his arms around Harry’s neck, pulling him into a hug that was heartily returned, and thanking every entity out there for a clumsy little boy and a fateful day in the tube.

\---

“Are you sure you have everything then, Liam?” Harry moved around the kitchen, putting Liam’s lunch in his bag, wiping imaginary lint from his son’s shoulders, and preparing a cup of coffee for Louis to take on the road. Louis took the offered cup with a grateful smile (because he knew how much Harry hated coffee, always wanting him to switch to some kind of organic, herbal tea) then turned to look down at Liam who was sitting in the entryway pulling on his shoes.

“Looks ready to me.” He gave Liam a wink and the boy smiled back at him, but his eyes didn’t crinkle and his face still held the tightness of nerves. It made Louis want to march back to Liam’s old school and throttle the shitheads responsible. But he was an adult now, and had to handle his problems like the grown-ass man he was. Which in this case meant grabbing his car keys and motioning for Liam to follow him out the door, resting a guiding hand on the top of the boy’s hair as they made their way out of the flat and to the lift.

Louis waited patiently as Liam searched for the correct button, the younger boy always wanted to push it himself before joining Louis in the back corner of the small space and riding to the ground floor. That day, he clung to Louis’ freshly pressed pants (because Harry was seriously the most talented individual Louis had ever met) until they had jerked to a stop again.

Then they were off, driving to Liam’s new school about a half hour away. Far enough that Harry couldn’t make the trip and be back in time to open, let alone attempt the distance with his bike. So it was Louis who had the honor of taking Liam to school, since he could shift his workday back by an hour and not have too much of an issue, just more work at home. Besides, he’d already been taking Liam in to his old school fairly regularly so Liam was perfectly content and relaxed in the passenger seat, looking out the window at the passing cars and buildings.

That is, until they pulled up to the school building and Louis put the car into park.

“Hey, you alright?” Louis took out the keys and reached to put a hand on Liam’s shoulder, being cautious not to put too much pressure. “I’m coming in with you, yeah, so it’ll be fine. I won’t leave until I’m sure you’re going to be okay.”

Liam bit his lip, scratching his nails along the fabric of his seat belt before pulling his hand away to hold it out in Louis’ direction. Louis took it immediately and gave it a shake. “Deal. Now let’s go. I’m sure the teachers are all excited to meet you.”

Liam gave him a look, and Louis laughed, ruffling the boy’s hair before reaching down to unclip his buckle. “Now none of that, I won’t have you sassing me until you’re at least thirteen. And you’ve still got a few years to go I’m afraid.”

They made it to the front of the building without any issue, but as soon as Louis put his hand on the handle, Liam stopped him. “Lou…” he mumbled. “I can’t…”

Louis stopped and stooped down in front of him, mentally praying that no one would try to push open the door while they were in front of it. “What can’t you do?” Louis asked gently, reaching out to take one of Liam’s hands, marveling in how much it had grown in just the few years he and Harry had been together. He could still remember the little boy who would run around in one of his or Harry’s oversized shirts, nearly tripping over the fabric that drug at his feet. Now the hem barely reached past his knees.

Liam huffed and kicked his foot at the ground.

“Liam,” Louis chided gently. “What do you think you can’t do?”

Furrowing his brow and taking a breath, Liam grasped tightly to Louis’ hand. “Can’t…I…I can’t…” He bit at his lip and Louis nodded encouragingly, sitting back on his heels to show he was perfectly content to wait. “Lou…” Liam whined, tugging at his hand and shaking his head. “You know…”

_So don’t make me try to say it._

The connotation was clear enough and Louis lifted an eyebrow in challenge. “Oh, so I know do I?” Liam kicked at the ground again but Louis ducked his head down to catch his eyes. “Well, guess what? I _don’t_ know. Because I think you can do anything you put your mind to, Liam. You’re my superhero, all right? That’s what I know.”

Liam’s wide eyes rose to meet Louis’, a shocked expression in their depths. “I’m your…” He paused and swallowed, eyes flickering across Louis’ face before continuing in a reverent whisper. “Superhero?”

“Course you are,” Louis said. Because it was the truth. Liam was one of the most spectacular individuals he knew, even though he still in the early years of primary school. He was earnest and brave. He had a heart of gold and a smile that could melt even the hardest hearts. He was his father’s son in looks and disposition; curly brown hair, pink lips, and a love and wonder for the world around him.

And, in some kind of miracle Louis would never feel worthy of, he had bits of Louis in him now too. His mischievous laughter as he ran down the hall, socked feet sliding across the wood, Harry’s scarf fluttering in his hand as he turned the corner into his room with the intent of building some kind of pirate fort…so maybe he wasn’t the best influence. But he would never forget the moment when Harry pulled him close, smile curved against Louis’ cheek, and whispered, “He gets that from you” before sprinting off after his son down the hall.

Now, Louis tried to will confidence into Liam, tried to help him see what he could.

“And you always will be.” He added, reaching up his free hand to run it through Liam’s soft curls, sighing when Liam leaned into the touch.

They stayed that way for about a minute, until Liam took a step back and stared up at the door with a resolute expression, reaching up to pull it open on his own. He kept careful hold of Louis’ hand though, as they walked up to the front desk.

“Why hello,” a kind-looking older woman behind the counter said, smiling at both Liam and Louis before beginning to shuffle some papers. “Are you the new student then, young man?” She asked, putting on a pair of reading glasses before leaning across the desk to get a better look.

Louis gave Liam’s hand a squeeze and Liam nodded hesitantly. The older woman stuck out her hand. “Well, my name is Ms. Rhodanth and it is very nice to meet you.”

Giving Louis a quick glance and receiving a head nod in return, Liam reached up and shook her hand. Louis put his free hand on the top of Liam’s head. “I’m…Liam….”

Ms. Rhodanth smiled even warmer. “Well, Liam, if you’d like to take a seat for just a moment I’m sure Miss Calder will be with you soon.”

Louis gave her a grateful smile, relieved that everything was going so well and that she hadn’t made a fuss about Liam being slow to answer. He hoped everyone else Liam came in contact with would be just as accepting, but he knew it was a lot to wish for.

They sat down in faded red chairs with marked up wooden arm rests, riddled with pocks from bored students trying to pass the time, and it was silent for a moment until Louis nudged Liam’s foot with his own. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he could see Liam was twiddling his thumbs, eyeing his backpack with distaste and looking around the room. He nudged Louis back with a perfectly straight face.

Louis had trained him well.

After about another minute of silence, Louis reached out and poked Liam’s side, withdrawing his hand quickly and folding it in his lap, keeping his eyes firmly trained ahead.

He heard Liam giggle.

“What?” He asked, turning to Liam with a lifted brow. “What’s so funny?”

Liam blushed and kicked lightly at Louis’ shin. “You know…”

“Oh, I know?” He questioned, leaning closer with a grin on his lips and a light in his eyes that had Liam edging away and giggling into his fist.

“You know, Lou,” Liam whispered. “You _know._ ”

“Okay,” Louis relented. “Okay yeah, that I know. But do _you_ know…” he leaned in close to whisper in Liam’s ear. “Do you know…”

Liam tapped at his leg impatiently. “What?” He kicked Louis’ shin again (gently though, since Liam wouldn’t dare hurt a fly let alone someone else). “ _What?_ ”

Louis lifted his eyebrow teasingly then glanced furtively around the room. “Do you know…that you’re the cutest kid here?”

Liam stared at him blankly.

“What?” Louis asked defensively. “It’s the truth.”

Liam continued to stare before slowly shaking his head. “Lou…” he sighed exasperatedly.

“Is this one giving you trouble, then?” A voice suddenly said from above them.

Liam froze instantly, hand clenching into the fabric of Louis’ pants as he sunk back into the chair. Louis looked up at his friend with a semi-forced smile, keeping Liam in the corner of his eye and covering the boy’s hand with his own. “Hey El, how’re you doing?”

“I’m great, thanks.” She smiled then flashed a glance at Liam, immediately crouching to the ground as much as her skirt would allow. “And you guys? How’re you doing?”

“We’re fine, just a little nervous.” Louis switched his right hand with his left, making sure to keep the hand Liam had clenched into his pants covered while he scootched closer and slipped his now free arm around the boy’s shoulders. “Right, Li?” He questioned, making sure the boy was snuggly fit into his side before he urged him to respond.

“Yeah…” Liam murmured, head bowed and face obscured by his bangs. “Fine…” He glanced at Eleanor for a brief moment then turned into Louis’ shoulder, like it was some kind of fortress against the world. It made Louis feel simultaneously warm and cold inside, an unsettling contradiction.

Louis squeezed Liam’s shoulder reassuringly then cleared his throat. “So did you need to talk to us or…?”

“Well, I need to talk to you. But Liam here is okay to go to class if he’d like?”

Liam was immediately clutching tighter to Louis’ side, the fabric of his freshly pressed dress shirt scrunched beyond recognition (not that Louis really cared, he was more than willing to sacrifice a bit of appearance for the sake of Liam’s comfort). “Lou…” He whispered. “Deal… right? Deal?”

“I remember our deal,” Louis assured. He rubbed a thumb over Liam’s little hand then turned back to Eleanor. “Would it be alright if he stayed with us for a little longer?”

Eleanor’s brow scrunched. “Well, I think Liam would be pretty bored with our conversation.” She gave Louis a meaningful glance and he nodded imperceptibly. “Maybe there’s something that would make him more comfortable and ready to go?”

“How about it?” Louis asked, gently rocking his body into Liam’s. “Anything we can do to help?”

Liam shook his head, somehow managing to wedge himself even closer to Louis’ side, his head pretty much buried in Louis’ armpit at that point. “Stay?” He whispered. “Can you…stay?”

“Liam,” Louis could feel his heart breaking. “I can’t stay. I’m too old, practically ancient, yeah? But maybe…” He had a sudden flash of inspiration and looked cautiously in Eleanor’s direction, gauging her expression. “Maybe you can have something that reminds you of home? And maybe a friend can come meet you to take you to class in my place?”

Eleanor nodded, “That sounds like a great idea.”

“How about it, Liam, sound good?” Louis nearly held his breath waiting for Liam’s response.

Little fingers pushed in a pattern against his ribs and a mass of curls slowly drew itself back from beneath Louis’ arm. Large brown eyes stared up at him cautiously. “Have… something?” His eyes flashed momentarily to Eleanor before settling back on Louis’ face. “What… something?” His voice was very low, Louis having to strain to hear it, obviously pitched so that no one else would hear.

Louis shrugged. “Whatever you want. Have something in mind?”

Liam eyed him, biting his lip, teeth working at the flesh as he fought with his words.

“Anything, Liam.” He urged, rubbing a hand up and down his back. “Anything is fine. Just ask.”

“Shirt?” Liam finally asked hopefully, fingers picking at the buttons of Louis’ dress shirt. Louis’ brow furrowed and Liam’s face fell, starting to close off.

But before he could completely shut down, Louis’ fingers were working at the buttons running down his chest. “Yeah, yeah sure.” He flashed Liam what he hoped was a comforting smile. He was wearing an undershirt, after all. It’d be fine. And he was pretty sure he still had an extra button-up underneath the passenger seat from that one time he and Harry had gone out for dinner and- …well, either way he was pretty sure he had a shirt. He pried the fabric from beneath Liam’s body and worked it off his arms, having to lean forward to get it completely off. He had a flash of worry about pushing Liam to the floor but he needn’t have bothered since Liam basically strangled him holding onto his neck.

“Alright mate,” Louis finally said, shirt held in one hand and Eleanor staring at him with a raised eyebrow. “How did you want to do this?”

Liam sat back and lifted his arms to the sides. “Wear?”

“Alright, we can do that. Just give me a second, yeah?” He quickly went about rolling the sleeves then slipped the fabric over Liam’s little shoulders. “Going to look like a proper little gentleman, aren’t you?”

Liam nodded, lip between his teeth. “Like Lou…”

Louis’ fingers fumbled on the button he’d been fastening and he had to take a moment to clear his throat. “Yeah, like me. And maybe…” He fumbled in his pocket for a moment. “Want something of Daddy’s too?” Liam nodded earnestly so Louis produced a wristband of Harry’s he kept in his pocket (for personal reasons). The worn braided fabric wrapped twice around Liam’s thin wrist and Liam played with it as Louis finished up the last of the buttons.

Eleanor cleared her throat as Louis resettled Liam on his lap. “Alright then, if you’re all set, would you like me to get a friend to see you to class?”

“Friend?” Liam wondered, then immediately bit his lip, large eyes looking up at Louis. “Who?”

Eleanor lifted an eyebrow and Louis motioned for her to go ahead. “Well, I could call down a student or…” She trailed off as Louis shook his head. “Someone older maybe?” She suddenly snapped her fingers. “I’ve got it, how about I have Miss Teasedale take you?”

“Miss Teasedale?” Louis asked.

Eleanor nodded. “Yup, she’ll be meeting Liam anyway. So it’ll be great if they could start getting to know each other early.” She looked towards Liam and put a gentle hand on Louis’ knee, right beside Liam’s leg but not touching him at all. “How about it, Liam? Does that sound okay?”

After a moment of consideration Liam looked back at Louis, biting his lip for a bit before asking, “Picture?”

“I’ll see,” Louis met Eleanor’s expectant expression and shifted Liam on his leg (the kid had a bony butt, okay). “Would you happen to have a picture of Miss Teasedale that he could see?”

Eleanor nodded, standing as she spoke. “I should, just give me one moment.” She walked off to the welcome desk and talked with the secretary for a moment, coming back over with a book in hand. Upon closer inspection, Louis realized it was a yearbook. Eleanor flipped open to the faculty section then skimmed her finger across the page until she stopped and tilted the book in Liam’s direction. “That’s her right there, pretty lady with the blonde hair.”

Liam surveyed her quietly for a moment and Louis could only imagine what was going through his head as he took in the warm eyes and bright smile, the purple blouse against the slate gray background. She looked harmless enough to Louis, but he could only pray Liam felt the same.

About a minute later, Liam finally nodded. “Okay.” He said.

“Would you like to see your teacher?” Eleanor asked, already flipping to the next page. “Mrs. Walters is a bit older than Miss Teasedale, but she’s just as fun, I promise.” She pointed to another image, this time of an older woman with laugh lines around her eyes and curly grey hair tied up in a loose bun. She kind of reminded Louis of an older, female version of Harry, with the vintage scarf draped around her shoulders and the welcoming tilt to her head. Liam apparently agreed because he smiled gently and reached forward to touch the picture.

“Okay…” he said again. “Thank… you.” He mumbled, and Louis immediately felt infinitely better because it seemed as though Liam was already becoming more comfortable with the idea of staying. And as Miss Teasedale finally entered the room and Louis stood to shake her hand, he let out another breath of relief when Liam hopped off his lap without complaint.

Things got a bit bumpy when it came time for them to part ways, but Louis gently transferred Liam’s hand into Miss Teasedale’s and she immediately gave Liam’s a squeeze, saying ‘You ready to go, Mr. Styles?”

Liam had smiled bashfully at that, fingers toying with the rolled up sleeve of Louis’ shirt before nodding slightly. They made it to the door before Liam suddenly stopped and ran back to Louis, crashing into his legs with enough force to nearly send him toppling to the ground. He had a flash back to years prior but was quickly brought back to the present when Liam looked up at him with wide eyes and whispered. “See… you later…, Lou?” And held up a little hand.

Louis shook it softly. “Course, Liam. And I expect to hear all about your day. Deal?”

“Deal.” Liam shook his hand, gave his legs one last squeeze, then ran back and took Miss Teasedale’s hand and let her lead him out into the hall and away.

\---

The room was quiet and mostly dark, lit only by the filtered light from the surrounding city. Louis was breathing evenly with Harry’s head supported on his chest, carding gentle fingers through the thick brown curls tickling his skin.

It had been a long day at work, followed by picking Liam up from the after school program and dropping him off with Luke and Michael. Harry had been swamped at the shop as well, with the new ‘hipster’ fad doing wonders for the business but keeping him on his feet for hours every day. They were both tuckered out, but Louis had decided it was time for them to spend some time together, so he had coerced Harry into the car and taken them out for dinner and a walk around the city streets. Then they had come back home to relax and have sex without worrying about having to pick Liam up from somewhere or wake him up from the next room over (the second occurring only during circumstances of extreme duress).

Needless to say, Louis was a very contented man at the moment. Tired, but happy.

Cars drove by outside, the steady drone broken up by the blare of an ambulance that quickly faded into the distance. Louis breathed out a quiet sigh.

“Thank you,” Harry suddenly whispered into the silence, voice rumbling over Louis like the tide.

“For what?” Louis whispered back. He wracked his mind to think of what it could be, coming up with anything from their activities in the past hour to the surprise dinner they had gone on that night. Or maybe it was the little fact that Louis had actually remembered to put the seat down for an entire week running. (Never mind that they were a family of all men, who hardly ever had guests, the seat had to be put down or some cosmic force would be off kilter and everything would be out of balance and they lived in _civilization_ didn’t he know? They weren’t cavemen. And apparently only cavemen left the seat up.)

But Harry said none of those things, instead he nuzzled closer and hummed, “Everything.” Louis chuckled softly at the generic response but Harry shook his head and continued. “For tonight, these past few years, being so good with Liam… For becoming a part of this family and doing so much, even when you didn't have to.”

Louis pushed gently at Harry’s head. “Please, like I had any choice. You two had me under your spell from that first day and you know it.”

Harry smiled sleepily. “But you love us, Lou. And I can never be more grateful for anything else.”

“Of course I love you,” Louis scoffed. He squeezed Harry closer and pressed his lips to the side of his face. “I’ll always love you.”

“Good,” Harry mumbled. “Love you too, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Louis placed another kiss to Harry’s temple.

“And you know, Liam, I’ve never seen him happier.” Harry spread one of his large hands out over Louis’ side, starting to rub up and down in a soothing motion. “You’ve been good for him.”

Louis swallowed thickly. “Yeah?” He whispered, voice wavering a bit. Because as much as he’d love to think that he had earned a place for himself in the little family unit of HarryandLiam, he always had doubt lurking in his mind as well. He had done nothing, after all, to deserve such a beautiful life with them.

Harry immediately pulled up, balancing on an elbow as he stared down at Louis’ face, brow crumpled down the middle. “Louis,” he said. “You have to know what you mean to him.”

Louis looked down at his hands. “I…I didn’t want to assume th-”

“You idiot.” Harry said fondly. His hand brushed over Louis’ face and urged his gaze back up to meet a pair of soft eyes, just beginning to crinkle at the corners.

Louis’ eyes narrowed and snapped up to meet Harry’s regardless. “Hey,” he frowned. “Just because I-mphhh.” He was cut off by the steady press of Harry’s mouth against his own, lips resolutely moving together as Harry pushed him back into the covers and spread his hands out over his sides again. Sometimes it was slightly disconcerting how small Harry could make him feel.

“You’re an idiot,” Harry panted into his mouth a few minutes later. “You’re an idiot, but I love you even more for it.”

Louis huffed, not sure if he should be happy or offended. He settled for slightly miffed and poked Harry once in the center of his chest. “I,” he said firmly. “Am a genius, Harry Edward Styles. Don’t even try to deny it.” His expression softened and he drew Harry down for one last quick kiss. “But I’m glad you love me. And…” he hesitated for a moment but decided to continue anyway. “I’m glad that Liam tolerates me too.”

Harry snorted at the roundabout answer but let it go, dropping down onto the bed and curling back into his place against Louis’ chest. Louis’ fingers picked up their careful exploration of Harry’s curls and the city flowed on just beyond their window.

\---

“Louis, you’re worrying over nothing.” Harry sighed, adjusting a pot on the stove before moving about the kitchen.

Louis shook his head. “Harry, this isn’t nothing. Liam already stands out from the rest of the kids, the last thing he needs is for everyone to know he has two-” He abruptly cut himself off and looked at the ground. “The rest of his class doesn't need to know he hasn't got a mum.”

“Just say it,” Harry sighed. “I don’t know why you don’t.”

Louis kept his eyes trained carefully on the floor. This was not the way he had wanted this conversation to go. “Don’t know what you mean. But we do need to have a plan for this and maybe talk to the teacher a-”

“Louis,” Harry said. His voice was stern and he put down what he was working on to take a step closer. “I don’t care if the rest of Liam’s class knows he has two _dads._ It shouldn’t be a problem. Kids don’t care about things like that, it’s the parents who do and he shouldn’t have to deal with them.”

“You can’t know that for sure,” Louis whispered. “I just- I don’t want Liam to have to go through anything more because of m-”

“Louis,” Harry interrupted again. “Don’t you dare try to turn what we have into something to be ashamed of. I love you and you love me back, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.”

“I never said that.” Louis sighed, finally looking up to meet Harry’s eyes and all of the emotion there. He hated when Harry was upset, especially if he was the cause. “ _I_ know there’s nothing wrong with it. I’d scream it out to the whole world if I could. I don’t care what people think of us, think of _me._ But Liam shouldn’t have to.”

“Have to what? Deal with family drama? Because I’m pretty sure that comes with being a part of any family. He’s a strong kid, Lou. You know that. You helped him _become_ that. The last thing he needs is to be taught that this, his family, is something to be ashamed of.”

“Yeah, yeah I- you’re right.” Louis sighed. “I’m sorry. I just hate to think of anyone using us against him.”

“I know.” Harry took the last stride over to Louis and wrapped him in a tight hug. “I know you’re only saying this stuff because you care, but you need to stop worrying so much.”

Louis nodded into Harry’s shoulder, tightening his arms around the other man’s back before letting out a sigh. “I’ll try. Besides, he might not even pick something with me in it, right?”

Harry pulled back at that and gave Louis a look that clearly said he thought Louis was insane. Which, maybe he was, but he was still going to hold out hope until the very end. And even if Liam did decide to include him in his story to share with the class, it might not be immediately obvious that he and Harry were together. The kids might think he was just an uncle or a family friend.

“Should we go ask him then? If the project is due next Friday then we should probably start getting ready. I’ve already spoken with the teacher about having him do a video instead of a presentation but it’s still going to take him awhile to get through everything.”

“Louis,” Harry laughed through a groan, then buried his face in Louis’ neck. “It’ll be _fine._ ”

“Yeah, yeah.” Louis grumbled, but he was smiling anyway. This kind of battle was nothing new between them. Louis tended to be very detail oriented, because there was a proper method for everything and everything should be done in its proper method and if it wasn’t then he got a bit stressed (at least when it came to serious things, all other times he was as crazy and unorganized as they come. Just a mess of contradictions, he was.) But Harry was always holding his hand, pulling him back and telling him to just go with the flow. Needless to say, his ‘relaxation’ was still a work in progress. “Let’s just go talk to him, get it over with.”

As if on cue, Liam chose that moment to call to them from the living room. “Daddy! Lou! Come here!” His voice wasn’t actually that loud, but by Liam’s standards it was practically shouting, so Harry and Louis exchanged a quick, panicked glance before hurrying to where they had left Liam playing with his action figures on the floor.

“Liam?” Harry asked, quickly edging around the couch to scoop Liam up in his arms. “What’s wrong?”

Liam pointed to the top of the bookcase that was wedged up against the wall, where Louis could see a very-loved and apparently lost Buzz Lightyear teetering on the edge. Harry laughed and bounced Liam against his hip. “How did that get up there, huh?”

Liam blushed and buried his head in Harry’s shoulder. “Daddy…” he whined.

“Alright, alright, I’ll get him down. But first I’m going to have to put _you_ down.”

Liam immediately whined at that and clung closer to Harry’s chest.  (Despite his and Harry’s best efforts to urge Liam to be more independent, he still clung like a koala at any chance he got. He’d given up most other forms of clinging though, and become much better about being left to his own devices, so they figured they’d let this one habit slide since he’d eventually become too big for it anyway.)

“I can take him,” Louis offered, causing Liam to untangle his arms from around Harry’s shoulders and hold them out towards Louis, leaning down the obligatory amount so that he could be transferred easily. And Louis wasn’t _short_. Harry was just a giraffe.

“Daddy to the rescue!” Louis cheered, urging Liam to do the same as Harry stood on the lowest shelf and reached up to pluck the errant space traveler from his perch. He hopped back to the ground with a grin.

“That’s right, I’m Super Daddy!” Harry said, putting one hand in the air and starting to run around the room making swooshing noises like the lovable dope he was- and that Louis had fallen in love with. Liam soon started giggling and bouncing in Louis’ arms, so Louis made sure his hold was tight on the little boy before taking off after Harry, making the necessary sound effects as they went.

By the time the entire group slid to a stop in the kitchen doorway, Liam was beside himself with laughter, nearly toppling out of Louis’ arms as he tried to reach for his father and pull him closer without relinquishing his spot in Louis’ arms. Harry came easily and smacked a sloppy kiss to both Liam and Louis’ foreheads before pulling back and placing Buzz into Liam’s waiting hands.

“Well, that was certainly an adventure,” he huffed.

Louis shifted Liam to his opposite hip. “And a nice reminder of how old I’m getting.” He let out a groan and popped his shoulder, then his neck. “Getting to be a proper geriatric, I am.”

Harry laughed and crushed both him and Liam in a hug. “I love you anyway. I’ll love you even when you’re old and wrinkly and waving your cane at children.”

“Haha, very funny. I’ll have you know I’ll be waving that cane at _you_ because I bet your skinny arse will still be trying to steal all my clothing.”

“Oh whatever,” Harry rolled his eyes. “Like you actually mind.”

“True,” Louis smiled. Harry smiled back then leant down to press a quick kiss to Louis’ lips. “Love you, babe.”

Harry’s eyes crinkled even more at the corners. “Love you, t-.”

_“To infinity- and beyond!”_

Both he and Harry laughed as Liam shoved the plastic action figure between them, turning it this way and that as if it was shaking its head in disapproval. (He was just beginning to enter the kissing=cooties phase.)

“Alright, alright.” Harry relented. “Daddy and Lou will stop being gross now.”

“Gross, right.” Louis smirked and bopped Liam’s nose. “I’m going to have so much revenge to get when you’re older. You and some cute bird or lad will be snogging on the couch and I’ll pop in with an action figure to ruin the mood. It’ll be amazing.”

Liam scrunched up his face at the suggestion. “Snogging…is gross.”

“Well, I’m glad you think so.” Louis said. Because even though Liam wasn’t technically his son, he was definitely going to be eyeing anyone Liam so much as had a crush on. Hurt his baby, and there was a world of pain coming.

He had his methods.

“Anyway,” Harry clapped his hands and gave Louis a look that said he knew exactly what he was thinking- and was both exasperated and amused- before continuing. “How about you two have a seat on the couch, I’ll go check on dinner, and then we can all have a chat. Sound good?”

Louis nodded, suddenly somber at the reminder of what they had to do, and walked he and Liam over to the couch where he flopped down into the cushions and let Liam crawl into a more comfortable position curled up to his side. Clinking and clanging noises floated in from the kitchen and he blew out a breath, sending up a silent prayer that everything would somehow work out.

“Alright,” Harry said, coming around the couch to take his spot beside Liam and throw an arm around Louis’ shoulders. “Liam, can you sit up for us please?”

Liam nodded and pushed himself so he was sitting between them, his legs dangling off the edge of the cushions and still too small to even have a hope of reaching the floor.

“So, you know you have a project to do for school, yeah?”

Liam nodded again. “Everyone…has to share…a story.”

“That’s right. Now, do you have an idea of which story you’d like to share?” Harry asked.

Chewing at his lip, Liam looked down at the cushions then back up at his father. His fingers had found their way to his jeans and were clenching and unclenching methodically in the fabric.

“You can go slow, Liam. We’ve got plenty of time.” Harry assured.

Louis smiled his own encouragements. “Just do your best.”

“I wanted…” Liam began, fingers still moving nervously. “To share a… story…of when me… and daddy and Lou…” he stopped then and started chewing at his lip again.

Louis tensed slightly at the inclusion of his name but Harry’s thumb immediately pressed into the muscle at his shoulder, urging him to relax.

“Me and… daddy and Lou…” Liam began again. “Were all in… Paris.” He drew in a shuddering breath and squirmed uncomfortably between the two men. “The bakery…and…walking…” His words became choppier then completely stopped, his teeth digging into his bottom lip until Louis and Harry both exchanged a worried glance, afraid he was going to draw blood.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright. We understand. You want to talk about the time we all went to Paris and how we went to the bakery and then walked around the city. Is that right?” Liam nodded and Harry immediately ran a thumb along his lower lip, trying to get him to calm down and release some of the tension in his jaw. “See? We understand. You did great. Right, Lou?”

Louis nodded woodenly then bent down to bury his face into Liam’s curls, pressing a kiss to the top of his head to hide his tense expression. “Definitely, very proud of you.” But on the inside he was panicking. Out of all the memories Liam could’ve chosen, that was probably one of the worst.

Their trip to Paris had been a very special affair, taken over the winter holidays as a way to celebrate both Louis’ birthday and his and Harry’s three-year anniversary. But it made sense Liam chose it, considering he had been beside himself nearly the entire time.

At first, he and Harry had been very apprehensive about taking Liam to such a foreign place, but their worry had been completely unneeded. Liam had been absolutely fine so long as Louis and Harry were by his side. In fact, he had loved it. He had surveyed nearly the entire city from the safety of his father’s arms, sometimes Louis’, and had basked in the chance to move through a crowd without having to worry about words, since Louis was the only one between them who spoke a stitch of French.

But the trip had also consisted of a lot of couple-y photographs and family moments. If Liam shared the story with the class, there wouldn’t be a doubt in anyone’s mind as to who Louis was in Liam’s life.

Harry seemed to pick up on this but his reaction was completely different. He just smiled and wrapped both his boys in a tight hug. “You like that memory, huh?” He asked. Liam nodded and Harry continued on, clearly very happy with this result. “You like that Daddy and Lou and you all had lots of fun together?”

Liam nodded again. “And…Lou made…daddy…smile a lot.”

Both men went silent at that, and stared at each other in shock for a moment before turning back to Liam who was chewing his lip and about to continue on, completely oblivious to the nonverbal communication that had just occurred above his head.

“And…in the bakery…picture…” Liam huffed and clenched his fingers tight into the fabric of his jeans, biting down on his lip again. “I like…picture…” Little tears were starting to form in the corners of Liam’s eyes at that point and it made Louis feel absolutely horrible to see him so frustrated.

“Hey,” he whispered, drawing the little boy onto his lap and scooting over towards Harry in one motion. They were already crushed together in a giant pile at that point but Harry apparently felt the need to be even closer and tugged Louis basically onto his own lap. (But it made Liam giggle so Louis would’ve let Harry bend him into a pretzel if need be.)

“Hey, it’s alright.” Louis said. “I really like that picture too.”

“The one you took, right?” Harry asked.

Liam nodded, still sniffling a bit but no longer in tears.

“I thought you said kissing was gross?” Louis teased. He was both trying to lighten the mood and verify that Liam did in fact have that specific (and rather incriminating) photo in mind.

But Liam merely buried his face in Louis’ chest and nodded into the fabric, which Louis knew would result in one of the many stains of parenthood but he could no longer find it in himself to care. Liam could smear all of the snot he wanted if it helped him feel better. “Alright, alright. You can like the picture and still think kissing is gross. I was just teasing.”

“That’s right, Louis was just being a meanie. Wasn’t he Liam?”

Liam sniffled once then leaned back just enough to peak at Louis’ expression. “Lou?” he asked softly.

“Yeah?”

Liam opened his mouth to say something then stopped and starting chewing on his lip, repeating the process multiple times while his fingers found the front of Louis’ shirt and starting kneading in the fabric. He was obviously upset and Louis felt like a complete asshole. Because of course Liam would pick up on his tense mood, the kid was like a savant with stuff like that. He was stupid to imagine otherwise.

“Hey, hey,” he whispered, taking Liam’s little hands in his own. “It’s fine, you’re fine. It’s a beautiful picture and I would be _proud_ to have you show it to your class. Promise.”

“That’s right,” Harry added. “And we’re even going to help you make a little film to bring in, if that’s okay?”

Liam nodded then adjusted himself on Louis’ lap, practically crawling up the older man’s chest so that he could rest his head on Louis’ shoulder and sniffle into his neck. Louis wrapped his arms around the boy’s back and gave him a squeeze.

“Alright?” he whispered into Liam’s soft curls. He didn’t receive a response so he nuzzled closer and murmured, “You know I love you, right? I love you and your father so much. I just don’t want anything bad to ever happen to you.”

Liam sniffled again. “Bad?” He questioned.

“Well,” Louis hesitated. He stole a quick glance at Harry and sighed, knowing they would have to have this conversation eventually so might as well get it over with. “Some people might not understand our family. They might not be nice about it, and I don’t want that to happen.”

Liam’s eyebrows scrunched together. “Family?” He asked.

“That’s right.” Harry answered. “Our family is just a little bit different, and some people don’t like things that are different.” Harry said calmly, keeping a firm arm around Louis’ shoulders as well.

“Different?” Liam questioned, then looked up at Louis, then back to Harry. “Because…no mum?” He looked between them for confirmation.

Louis swallowed nervously but Harry spared him having to speak. “Something like that. It’s nothing you need to worry about. Just, if people start saying mean things to you, come talk to us. You know you can always come talk to us, right?”

Liam nodded solemnly then cuddled back into Louis’ shoulder. “I like…this family.”

Harry gave Louis a knowing smile before pressing a kiss to his son’s head and keeping his mouth there as he whispered lowly. “We like it too, Liam.” He turned just enough to catch Louis’ eyes. “We like it too.”

\---

“Liam James Styles, this isn’t in the least bit funny!” Harry yelled, all effect of his words completely lost by the obvious laughter in his voice.

“Quick,” Louis hissed, tugging at Liam’s elbow as they rounded the corner.  He pulled the pair of them into his and Harry’s bedroom then quickly swung the door shut.

They could hear Harry banging around from where they’d left him under a pile of laundry and then another bark of laughter when he met the next obstacle: a barricade of couch cushions and dining chairs that they’d pulled in from another room.

Biting down on his lip to stifle his own laughter, Louis quickly ushered Liam to follow him into the closet, positioning the younger lad behind a rack of clothes before slipping into his own hiding spot underneath layers of discarded t-shirts and sweatpants (he took his lazy weekends seriously, okay?).

And it wasn’t a moment too soon, because no sooner had Louis stopped his wriggling that he heard the door to the master bedroom bang open and the low rumble of Harry’s fake growl. “I’m going to get you,” he said, followed by the rustling of bed sheets as he presumably checked underneath for any stowaways. “I know you’re in here, you naughty, naughty boys.” He continued. “And I’m going to find you…”

Metal screeched on metal as he flung back the curtains, obviously having hoped to find one of them hiding behind the loose fabric. Footsteps edged closer and Louis met Liam’s eyes from across the closet, Liam’s peeking over a row of suit jackets and Louis from beneath a pant leg. Liam looked like a child again, full of excited tension and expression bright with mischief. Even though he had entered secondary school, he hadn’t lost any of his love for playing games. If anything, it had only grown under Louis’ influence.

“I’m going to find you…” Harry repeated again, drawing closer. “And when I do, I’m going to tickle you until you admit I am The Supreme Ruler of the Spatula.”

(This whole dilemma had come about when Harry decided it would be a good idea to all bake a cake together as some kind of bonding activity. And while he had done most of the actual baking, he had let the other two boys frost the cake. Or at least try to. But what started as a simple enough task quickly devolved into frosting smattered across the counters, cupboards, and nearly every inch of open skin within a three-yard radius. Their clothing hadn’t escaped unscathed either. So, after some heavy insinuations as to their lack of spatula-wielding skills, Harry had gathered up their clothes and marched off to the laundry room, leaving Liam and Louis with nothing but their boxers and matching grins. Because it was _so_ on.)

And so there they were, Harry finally entering the closet, scanning the small space with narrowed eyes and outstretched hands, an imitation monster with too weak a stance and too soft a smile; he and Liam nearly stark naked hidden away in a sea of clothes.

Harry had just turned around, facing Liam’s direction but his back completely towards Louis, when he sprung, letting out a cry of, “Vive la revolution!” before launching himself onto Harry’s back. They both tumbled to the ground in a heap and before long Liam was on top of them as well, fingers flying as an intense tickle war ensued.

“Heyyyy, no fair,” Harry complained between laughs. “I’m out numbered!”

Louis dodged an attack on his side, grabbing Harry’s hand and trying to pin it in place while Liam went for his father’s armpit. “Yeah, well you’re an octopus so I think we’re even.”

Harry frowned up at him for a moment, then broke out in a sly grin, letting out a soft ( ~~but still really fucking sexy~~ ) grunt before rolling over in a flurry of limbs that somehow left Liam in a headlock and Louis trapped beneath Harry’s thighs (not that he really minded the position).

“I’ve got you now! Do you surrender?” Harry demanded, still giggling as both Liam and Louis tried to dig fingers into any ticklish areas they could reach.

“Never!” Louis cried.

“Never!” Liam echoed a moment later.

“Then you leave me no choice, I can see only one solu-” Harry paused midsentence, head suddenly lifting and cocking to the side. “Was that the phone?”

The trio immediately froze and waited for the telltale sound of the ringer, listening as the familiar tone did indeed make its way into the room.

Harry sighed and started to push himself up but Louis stopped him, wriggling out from beneath him and hopping to his feet. “I got it, babe.” He said, quickly jumping over the wreckage of their battle and making his way towards the phone they kept in the kitchen.

“Hello?” He asked, pressing the receiver to his ear and hoping whoever it was didn’t notice that he was out of breath.

“Hello, is this the Styles residence?”

“It is.” He confirmed. He leaned his hip against the wall and adjusted the phone against his ear. “May I ask who’s calling?”

“This is Mr. Harrison, from the Academy, is this Liam’s father?”

Louis bit his lip, glancing back to the room where Harry and Liam were still giggling on the floor, and let out a breath. “His guardian, yes. Why? Is something wrong?”

“Well, we just wanted to ask if you would be able to come in for a conference sometime in the near future.”

“Yeah, of course, just let us know and we’ll work it into our schedules.” Louis said. “But, everything’s fine?”

“Everything’s fine, Mr. Styles.” (Louis flinched slightly at the title but continued to listen without interrupting.) “We just have a few concerns we’d like to discuss about Liam.”

“I see. Well, do you have any idea when? I could check our calendar right now, see if we can’t get something set up?”

“Sure, we could meet as early as next week, Monday through Wednesday, any time during the school day. Does anything within that time frame work for you?”

Louis took the necessary sidestep to reach the calendar and quickly checked their schedule. He had a promotional meeting on Wednesday and Harry tended to be busy on Mondays… “Tuesday?” He asked. “We could come to your office right after we drop Liam off.”

“Sounds excellent,” Mr. Harrison said. “We’ll see you then.”

“Yeah, thank you, see you then…” Louis hung up the phone then leaned his forehead against the wall, all adult-like pretense falling away. He pinched his eyes shut and tried to convince himself that this wasn’t going to be about what he was assuming. But who was he kidding? They had gotten lucky with his connection to Eleanor, getting Liam started in the school system early so that he didn’t have to reapply at the subsequent stages, but he had been warned that they may have to fight to keep him enrolled.

All because Liam was a little bit different.

It was so fucking maddening Louis could scream.

Instead, he forced himself to take a deep breath and pull away from the wall, opening his eyes just to meet Harry’s concerned expression. “Louis,” he whispered, taking a step forward and pulling Louis in by the waist. “Who was it? What’s wrong?”

Louis looked up into Harry’s face, gaze flickering between both of Harry’s eyes before he let out a sigh. “It was the school, we’re going in Tuesday morning for a conference.”

“Oh,” Harry’s expression fell. “Oh, Louis.” He whispered. “What’re we going to do?”

“We’re going to fucking fight, that’s what we’re going to do.” Louis hissed. “As if I’d let those bastards convince us t-”

A sudden squeeze to his hips had Louis snapping his mouth shut and casting his gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “He still in our room?”

Harry nodded. “I told him to wait there until we came and got him.”

“Alright,” Louis sighed. “Alright, let’s not worry about this now. Let’s just…get Liam, get dressed, and then eat what’s left of that cake, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Harry murmured, leaning down to press a quick kiss to the side of Louis’ head before wrapping an arm securely around his waist. He started to walk them back down the hall. “But you’ll have to help me convince Liam into a shirt.”

Louis laughed softly. “I’m sure we can figure out a deal.”

\---

“I can’t fucking believe it.” Louis muttered. “I can’t fucking believe it!” He spun around on his heel and threw his hands up in the air before resuming his pacing. “Those bastards think they know what’s best for him…they don’t even fucking know him at all. And did you see the _look_ they gave us when we walked in. Like they’d never fucking heard of a gay couple before. What the fuck was that? Even daring to ask if Liam had a fucking maternal figure in his life. Arrogant, pompous, fucking _pricks_.”

“Louis,” Harry said calmly. He was sitting at the table, elbows balanced on his knees as he watched Louis wear a trench into their dining room floor.

“Harry,” Louis threw back. “You should’ve fucking let me yell at them. They deserved it. I should’ve let them know what complete, utter _assholes_ they w-”

“ _Louis_ ,” Harry said again, this time with enough force that Louis finally stopped and met his eyes.

“What?” He asked, crossing his arms and feeling extremely put out with the entire situation. Harry just held out an arm and Louis sighed before walking over and allowing himself to be pulled in between Harry’s spread legs, wide fingers splaying out across his hips to hold him in place even though he was already itching to move.

Harry smiled up at him knowingly, but the gesture didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Louis,” he repeated a final time. “Getting angry won’t help. We need to be mature about this, alright?”

Staring into Harry’s eyes, he weighed all of the pros and cons of the situation.

Getting angry: letting those assholes know that they fucked up, releasing some frustration at society, but ultimately losing all credibility in the upcoming fight to keep Liam at the Academy.

Being Mature: having to sit through conferences and phone calls with more stuffy know-it-alls, actively stifling all snarky comments and ‘rude’ personality traits in the company of said stuffy know-it-alls, but ultimately having a much greater chance of keeping Liam in the best academic environment possible.

“But I hate being mature,” He whined, flopping dramatically onto Harry’s shoulder. “It kills me on the inside, Harry.”

“You have to do it at work every day.” Harry responded calmly.

“Yeah, but only in front of my bosses. So, not that often. The rest of the time is just me and Niall fucking around in my office.”

Harry patted his back consolingly. “I think you’ll survive.”

“Yeah, I know.” Louis sighed, suddenly going somber. “I’ll do anything…whatever it takes, Harry. I’ll do it.”

“Hey,” Harry whispered, “C’mon, Lou. Don’t be like that.” He wrestled Louis down onto his lap and nuzzled into his neck, pressing kisses into the skin before stopping and burying his nose into the fluffy hair at the top of Louis’ head. “We’ll figure it out together, alright? We won’t let them take him out of classes.” He pressed another kiss to the crown of Louis’ head. “So don’t be like that.”

He opened his mouth to respond when a small noise at the doorway made him freeze.

“Dad? Lou?” Liam’s soft voice asked. “What…?”

Louis felt his stomach drop as Liam took a few more steps into the room. How much had he heard?

“Hey, Li.” Harry said. “What’s up?”

“I…” Liam trailed off, brow furrowed, and didn’t have a chance to continue before another voice was cutting into the silence.

“Hey Liam, are your parents here or do I need to call and oh- oh, sorry, never mind.” Michael appeared in the entrance to the dining room for just a moment, swinging around the doorway and freezing in place before quickly backing out again.

“I’ll just be going then!” He called as he made his way back down the hall. “Bye Liam, was great seeing you! …You too Harry and Louis!” The front door slammed and they were plunged back into silence.

“Well that wasn’t awkward at all,” Louis joked, trying to lighten the mood. He stood up from Harry’s lap and received a fond pat on the bum, both of them trying for normalcy as Liam continued to stare cautiously in their direction. “So,” he tried again. “Did you have fun with Uncle Mikey?”

Liam wasn’t swayed.

He continued to stand there, eyes flickering back and forth between both of their faces. His bottom lip disappeared between his teeth and his hands started to clench and unclench restlessly at his sides.

“I…” He started, then stopped and tried to start again. “Dad…Lou…”

Louis rested an anchoring hand on Harry’s shoulder as they both waited for Liam to work through what he was trying to say.

“I don’t…have…to go…to the Academy…” Liam forced out.

Both Louis and Harry were immediately at his side.

“Hey, don’t say that, we want you to go there, okay?” Louis said, wrapping an arm around Liam’s shoulders.

“We’re going to take care of it. So you don’t have to worry.” Harry added, rubbing a hand up and down the boy’s back.

Liam looked at the both of them with tired eyes. “I just…want you...to be happy…”

“Well you being happy makes us happy, yeah?” Harry smiled. “So, you don’t need to worry about anything else.”

Liam turned to look at Louis. “But…Lou…I don’t…” He reached out and tangled a hand in the hem of Louis’ shirt, cuing both he and Harry to freeze in place and let Liam orient himself however he was most comfortable. “I don’t…” he drew in a breath. “Want…you…to give…up…things for…me…”

“I’m not, Liam. I promise you I’m not.” Liam shot him a look so Louis conceded. “I’m not giving up anything _important._ Sure, I’ve had to do a few things here and there but nothing that I’ve ever regretted. Because I’ve gained so much more than I’ve lost. So, if I have to act a little more mature then that’s fine. And it’s _nothing_ you need to feel bad about.”

“But…” Liam argued. “I don’t…like…when you…act…” He chewed on his lip as he searched for the words. “Not…you…”

“Yeah, well,” Louis shrugged. “That’s life, babe. Sometimes we have to act just a tinge differently in order to fit the situation. And in my case, it means cutting down on the sarcasm in front of the school board. It’s just a part of growing up.”

“But dad…never…”

“Your father, is a very special case.” Louis teased. “Not everyone can frolic through life wearing headbands and sipping local-organic-eco whatever tea.”

“Not yet, at least.” Harry corrected. “I’d like to think that the world is becoming a much more accepting place, but…” He glanced at Louis and Louis could feel Harry’s pain in his own body. “We do still have a ways to go.”

Liam nodded slowly and Louis quickly ruffled his hair. “But that doesn’t mean you have to go changing yourself, because you’re in a much different generation than your father and I, and we’ll be fighting so that you can be exactly who you are. Alright? So you don’t have to worry about any of this. We just want you to understand, you’ve done nothing wrong. And we both love you no matter what. So much. That’s why we want the very best for you.”

Liam used his grip on Louis’ shirt to pull him closer and wrapped both men in a hug, burying his face in his father’s shoulder as he whispered. “I love…you…” And if the little hitch in his voice had Louis tearing up a bit too, then, well, that wasn’t anyone else’s business.

It was just nice to know that everything they were doing wasn’t for nothing. But rather for something very, very special.

\---

“So what’re we doing for dinner tonight?” Louis asked, stifling a yawn into his sleeve as he leaned against the counter.

Harry glanced over at him from where he was crouched in front of the bottom shelves of their cupboard. “Do you mean what am _I_ doing for dinner?” He teased.

“You know I’d help you,” Louis said as he changed position against the counter, adjusting so it was digging into his back instead of his hip. “But I’m shit at cooking. That’s why I’m in charge of setting the table and cleaning dishes.”

Harry grabbed a box of some kind of spice mixture and quickly strode across the kitchen, pressing Louis back into the countertop before covering his mouth with his own. “I know,” he murmured. “You’re very helpful.”

Louis hummed into Harry’s mouth as he lent back in. “Damn right I am.”

The box of spices was set on the counter as Harry’s hands splayed out over Louis’ back, pulling him closer as Harry pressed into him from the front. Louis let out a small groan. “Fuck, Harry…”

“That’s the idea.” Harry teased. “But we’ll have to wait until later.”

He pulled back with a sly grin and Louis glared half-heartedly at his retreating form. “Fucking tease,” he muttered. He picked up one of the pots Harry had left by the stove and filled it halfway with water before setting it on the burner. The clunk-clunk-clunk of the knife hitting the cutting board filled the air along with the scent of freshly cut chives as Harry went back to working on some kind of sauce.

They were so fucking domestic Louis could cry.

Now all the needed was for Liam to walk through the door with a puppy or some shit and their little picture perfect gay family would be complete.

Sometime during his internal monologue-ing, the front door had been opened and Louis could hear the clatter of Liam and whoever was dropping him off from the restaurant taking off their shoes and heading towards the kitchen.

“Now remember what I told you,” Calum’s voice floated out over the thud of footsteps. “Puppy eyes, full power. And if that doesn’t work, tears.”

Louis immediately snapped his head towards the doorway. “Calum, what the hell are you teaching him, you b-” He was cut off midsentence as Liam stepped out from behind Calum’s larger form, a little black and white puppy balanced in his arms.

He raised his face hopefully in Louis and Harry’s direction.

Louis sighed. Because of course, of course the universe would taunt him this way. He really shouldn’t have expected anything less. “Liam…” he started.

“No, no absolutely not.” Harry shook his head, causing everyone in the room to look at him in shock. (Because let’s be real here, Harry was about as firm as a marshmallow and this was a puppy he was talking about barring from the house.)

“Aw, come on,” Calum cooed. “Look at this little guy, how can you not love him?”

“Because he’s going to poop and pee all over the floors and shed hair everywhere and there will be drool and barking and just no, absolutely not.”

Liam’s eyes began to wobble a bit and Harry quickly shook his head. “No, don’t start, Liam. I’m not falling for it.” Despite his words, he turned away so he couldn’t see Liam’s expression, obviously not as strong as he would like them to think.

“C’mon, dad,” Calum coaxed again. “Look at this little face,” Harry turned back to see Calum squishing Liam’s cheeks in his hand. “And this little face,” he squished the puppy’s face with his other hand. “How can you say no?”

Harry stared him dead in the eyes. “No.”

“Dad…” Liam finally said, voice small. “Please…?”

Harry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Where did you get him from anyway?”

“We…found him…by the…dumpsters…” Liam explained. “He was…all…alone…”

And damnit if the little sucker didn’t have a tragic backstory to go with his adorable face.

“Liam,” Harry groaned. “Don’t do this, please? This house is hard enough to keep clean without adding another inhabitant.”

“But…what…if I…help?” He asked. “I’ll…take…care of…him…” The little puppy chose that time to bark and start squirming in Liam’s arms. “See…? He…wants to…stay too…”

Harry looked to Louis in desperation and Louis wracked his mind for anything he could do to try and salvage the situation. He lifted one eyebrow as he walked up to where Liam and the puppy where still standing tucked into Calum’s side. “So,” he began. “Liam wants to add a rather expensive, _furry_ responsibility to this household.” He looked at Liam meaningfully before turning to Harry. “Harry, however, wants the little mess-maker to hit the pavement.”

He paused to let both parties soak in the weight of their demands. And because he was a sucker for dramatics.

“It seems we have reached an impasse, which leaves only one logical course of action: compromise. An action that I would be happy to facilitate.”

He turned to Harry. “Your main concern is it messing up the house, correct?” Harry nodded so Louis continued. “And I’ll add in the cost factor as well, since that’s definitely something to be considered.”

He turned to Liam. “You want the puppy to be taken care of, given a good home and, if possible, be a part of that. Yes?” Liam nodded in agreement.

“Very well then, I see only one solution.” He turned and pointed to Calum. “You, as this seemed to be your bright idea to begin with, you will take the dog until it has been properly house trained.”

He shifted his gaze (and pointer finger) to Liam. “You, as primary care giver, will be expected to help Calum in this process. You will be expected to contribute allowance money and, when the time comes, pay check money to the monetary drain that is this little ball of fur. You will also be responsible for all walking, feeding, watering, and pooper-scoopering that needs to be done.”

He swiveled around to meet Harry’s eyes. “You, as apparent puppy-hater, will allow this creature into your home once these terms are met. If at any point any participant in this contract fails to do their part, I, as Supreme Judge, hold the power to drive the dog to the nearest shelter or put someone else in the doghouse. Everyone got it?”

Harry groaned and shook his head. “Louis…why?” He looked up from between his fingers with a wounded expression. “You knew I wanted a kitten. I don’t know how to handle puppies.”

“Sure you do, raised one yourself, didn’t you?” He gestured towards Liam then leaned forward to kiss Harry on the cheek, staying close to whisper. “And don’t worry about the kitten, I’ve got a plan.” He winked cheekily as he pulled away then turned back to the other side of the kitchen.

Liam was bouncing on his feet hopefully as Calum stared into space with a confused expression. “What…just happened?”

“You just earned yourself a probationary puppy, mate!” Louis cheered, clapping the other man on the back before ruffling Liam’s hair.

Liam looked up at him happily then held out the puppy for Louis’ inspection. Louis scratched the little guy behind the ear.

“I’ve…” Liam started. “Named…him Loki.”

“Loki?” Louis asked. “Like Thor’s brother Loki?”

Liam nodded and Louis laughed.

“Well let’s just hope he’s a bit less mischievous, yeah?”

And just like that, their picture perfect gay family was complete.

\---

Louis’ phone rang in his pocket and he quickly reached back to dig it out, pressing it to his ear as he continued rummaging in the fridge. “Hello?”

“Hey babe, it’s me. I’m going to be a little late so if you could go ahead and get dinner started that would be great.”

“Already on it,” Louis grinned, hip-checking the fridge door shut and walking back over to the counter. “Pasta’s okay, right?”

“Of course. I’ll be home in twenty minutes and help with whatever’s left, so don’t burn the kitchen down trying to do something you’re unsure of.”

Louis rolled his eyes. “Yes, mother.”

Harry laughed lightly from across the line. “Alright, well, see you soon.”

“See you soon.”

The phone clicked off and he checked the time, furrowing his brow a bit before dialing another number. It rang four times, and Louis started to worry that nobody would pick up. Then, on what had to be nearing the final ring, a rustling came over the line.

“Lou?” Liam asked, voice sounding rather breathless.

“Liam? What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“Yeah…I’m…”

“Why are you out of breath?” Louis pushed. Because if some little twerps were harassing Liam then they were about to have the full wrath of Louis Tomlinson rain down on their pre-pubescent asses.

“I…left….my phone…in my back…pack…” There was a pause but Louis could tell Liam had more to say, so he leaned back into the counter to wait. “I…didn’t…hear it…ring…that’s why…I almost…missed you… Sorry…”

Louis let out a relieved sigh. “Alright, it’s fine. These things happen. But are you aware of the time, young man? Where are you? I thought you weren’t supposed to be staying after with the Uncles today.”

“I…didn’t…I’m…still at…school…”

“Why?” Louis asked, pulling out a pot and setting it on the counter.

“Can I…explain…later?”

“Alright, fine. But you need to head home now, dinner’s in half an hour.”

“Okay…” Liam said. “Bye, Lou.”

The phone clicked off again and Louis let out a sigh. _Teenagers._

But at least with Liam and Harry out, he would be able to work on dinner in peace, without anyone staring over his shoulder and asking if he was ‘sure about adding that much spice’ or if he ‘really wanted to stir it that way’. You start a small fire in the kitchen _one_ time and suddenly you’re under constant surveillance. Well, no one was watching now.

The clicking of nails against the tile floor had him eating his words, as moments later Loki bumped into his legs and stared up at him with an intense expression before barking once.

“What?” He asked. “What is it?”

The dog barked again then scooted back, still staring at Louis intently except for the brief moments he’d look somewhere slightly to the right of Louis’ shoulder.

“What? What’re you doing, you crazy dog?” Louis turned to follow the dog’s gaze then cursed when he saw the sauce he’d been working on bubbling out over the pot and onto the stove. A little wisp of dark smoke was already curling up from the goo burning onto the burner.

He managed to salvage the situation, turning the heat off and moving the pot out of the way before anything could get out of control.

Loki barked once, as if to say ‘I told you so’.

“Yeah, yeah,” Louis muttered. “Just don’t tell the other two or they’ll never let me live it down.”

Loki barked again and trotted happily over to Louis’ side, tail wagging furiously as he plopped himself down across Louis’ feet. Luckily, Louis didn’t have to go anywhere for a while, since he had a ridiculous amount of vegetables to cut and wash. Who knew eating healthy would be so much work?

\--

By the time Harry finally came through the door, Louis had finished preparing all of the vegetables and cleaning up the last bits of evidence from the little oven mishap. Loki barked happily between their feet as Harry leaned in to give Louis a quick peck on the lips.

“Looks good, babe.” He praised, taking in the state of the kitchen with scrutinizing eyes.

Louis scoffed. “Course it does, why wouldn't it?”

Harry just raised an eyebrow at that before pulling down the large frying pan he was going to use to stir-fry the vegetables.

“Where’s Liam?” He asked.

“Still at school, I called him right after I talked to you and he said he was going to head home right away. So he should be here any minute.”

Harry nodded. “Why was he still at school though? Isn’t it kind of late?”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. He said he’d explain when he got home.”

“Alright,” Harry hummed, “Do you want to go ahead and get the water boiling?”

Louis did as he was told, filling up a pot with water and setting it on the stove.

He stood and watched from the sidelines as Harry went about his business in the kitchen, admiring the strong lines of his muscles beneath the thin t-shirt he wore.

The front door opened and shut, announcing Liam’s arrival, just as the water began to boil. “Hey Liam!” Harry called. Loki immediately started barking and sprung up from the ground to race and meet Liam in the hall.

Louis could hear the clinking of Loki’s tags as he jumped all over Liam in the doorway and couldn’t help but smile as he heard Liam’s resulting laughter (soft, but there, and so, so beautiful).

Grabbing one of the ceramic jars of pasta from their lineup near the toaster (because yes, they were one of those families) he dumped enough noodles for the three of them into the boiling water, then turned around so he could see as Liam walked through the door.

Liam smiled at both of them, Loki trailing loyally by his side, and set his backpack down in his chair at the table. “Hey…guys…” he said.

“Hey yourself,” Louis answered, side-eying the pasta and daring it to bubble over while he was on watch. Liam started shuffling around in his backpack.

“So I heard you stayed late at school?” Harry asked, wiping his hands on his apron (because yes, they were one of those families too).

Liam nodded and continued to root around in his backpack before finally pulling out a folder and flipping it open. He took out one of the first papers on top before walking towards Louis and Harry and holding it out for inspection.

It was some kind of drawing, a sketch of what looked to be a superhero. A rather Liam-esque superhero, in fact.

“What’s this then?” Harry asked, reaching out to take the paper and get a closer look. Louis moved closer as well, ducking beneath one of Harry’s arms to properly inspect the drawing.

From that distance, he noticed even more of Liam’s traits within the sketch, from the birthmark on his neck to the crinkles by the corners of his eyes. “Is this you?” Both he and Harry looked up expectantly.

Liam bit his lip. “Yeah…It…It’s me…as a…superhero…”

“Well it’s fantastic,” Harry smiled. “Did you draw this or…?”

Liam shook his head. “I can’t…draw…” He bit his lip again and looked at the floor. “Someone…drew it…for me…”

“Ooooh,” Louis said in understanding. “Someone else drew it _for_ you, did they?”

Liam blushed and Harry giggled from over his shoulder.

“And that’s why you had to stay after school, did you? So they could give this to you?”

Liam nodded. “He…finished…it and…then…said I…could…have it…”

Louis felt Harry’s grip on his waist tighten a bit at that and he nodded slightly to show he understood. They had never actually talked to Liam about the idea of sexuality. Never felt the need to, really. It didn’t matter to them who Liam liked so they’d never pushed the issue. (But it was nice to know either way, so that they could start teasing him about hot guys whenever they went out somewhere as a family.)

“And who is this mysterious artist?” Louis questioned. “Anyone we know?”

Liam shook his head.

“Anyone we’ll ever _get_ to know?” Louis pressed. And they’d better get to know this kid, if he was going to have anything to do with Liam, especially in a romantic way.

Liam blushed again.

“Invite him over for dinner sometime!” Harry said. “That way we can meet him without it being weird.”

Louis rolled his eyes. “Right, because inviting the lad to dinner with his parents wouldn’t be ‘weird’.” Harry pouted at him so he added a quick qualifier. “But I suppose he could ask him over to study and then we could just invite him to stay once he got here.” And Louis could judge for himself whether or not this boy was deserving of Liam.

“Yeah, let’s do that!” Harry turned towards Liam excitedly. “Do you think he’d say yes?”

“I…” Liam blushed even harder and lowered his eyes to the floor. “I already…asked him…over…this Friday…”

Louis and Harry glanced at each other, then back to Liam.

“Ohhhhh,” Louis cooed. “I see how it is.”

“My baby!” Harry cried, throwing his arms around Liam and enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug. “You’re getting all grown up now and inviting boys over. I’m so proud of you.”

“Dad…” Liam gasped. “Can’t…breathe…”

“Sorry, sorry,” Harry pulled back and patted at his son’s shoulders. “I’m just so happy for you.”

Liam rolled his eyes. “Dad…”

“It feels like just yesterday I was trying to read the instruction manual for your bassinette…”

“Or wiping your snot from my shirt…” Louis added.

“Or picking out Legos for your Christmas gift…”

“Or sneaking you juice when your father wasn’t looking…”

Harry threw him a fond glare for that one. “Yeah, except you still do.”

Louis shrugged, guilty as charged.

“Dad…” Liam groaned again. “Stop…”

Louis chuckled fondly then happened to glance over at the stove, where his pot of pasta was currently boiling over. Fuck.

“But Liam…” Harry whined, fully prepared to continue.

Luckily for Liam, Louis cut him off. “Harry, I think we should worry about dinner…”

“Oh!” Harry immediately spun around and flew back over to the stove, frantically rearranging pans and knobs until everything was settled back into order.

Louis glanced over towards Liam with a smirk. “Yup, and I still remember when you wouldn’t eat pasta unless I bought the kind with shapes. Which I had to order from the internet because no one makes those organically non-processed enough for your father’s approval except for some random company in Wales.”

“Heyyyy,” Harry said. “I just want us all to be healthy.”

“I know babe, that’s why I don't complain nearly as much as I’d like to.” He threw a cheeky wink at Harry’s pout and shared a smile with Liam, because even though they’d never admit it, they both secretly loved all of Harry’s food.

“But I will be asking about this boy over dinner, Liam.” Harry suddenly said, interrupting Louis and Liam’s bonding moment with the point of a spoon.

Liam whined and Louis laughed and all was normal in the Tomlinson-Styles household.

\---

“I don’t even fucking know, Niall. I don’t even fucking know.” Louis ranted, pacing around his office like some kind of caged animal.

Niall took another sip of his drink and shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t see what the big deal is, mate. I thought you and Harry’d be over the moon about this.”

“I am,” Louis said. Because he was. Completely over the moon, just fucking ecstatic.

Niall lifted an eyebrow and took another obnoxiously loud drag on his straw.

“Oh shut up,” Louis sighed. “I’m happy for him, I really am. But I’m worried too. I hardly know this kid, and it didn’t seem like _they_ even hardly knew each other besides having sat in their free period together and I just don’t even fucking know what to think.”

Niall swiveled back and forth in Louis’ chair for a few moments before setting down his drink and steepling his fingers. “Well,” he started. “I can think of another certain couple who hadn’t even _heard_ ofeach other before they went on their first date. And they’ve been together for, what is it? Like ten years now?”

“Eleven,” Louis grumbled, feeling some of the wind knock out of his sails but still not ready to give it up. “But just because Harry and I got lucky doesn’t mean I’m going to fully support anyone Liam drags through the door.”

“Louis,” Niall sighed exasperatedly (he’d never had any tolerance for drama, and it really was a wonder they were even friends, with Louis’ penchant for ‘dramatics’ and Niall’s endearingly obnoxious fanboy tendencies that had nearly driven Louis up a wall their first few months at the company together). “You’re not going to _like_ anyone Liam brings home because you’re just going to see them as the person who might eventually take him away from you. You’re attached, you’re a parent, it’s normal. But you’re going to have to rein it in a bit for Liam’s sake.”

Louis choked a bit on his own spit.

“Don’t try to deny it, Papa Bear.” Niall smirked, resuming his half-assed swiveling. “Liam is your little bear cub and you’re raring to rip the head off of any bastard dumb enough to come too close.”

“I resent that,” Louis sniffed. “Just because I don’t want to see him get hurt doesn’t mean I’m overprotective.”

“True,” Niall agreed. “But scaring off anyone he wants to date to make sure he doesn’t get hurt _does_.”

Louis was silent for a long moment, processing. As much as he was loath to admit it, what Niall had said did make sense. He loved Liam. He had sent mental death threats to his bullies in school. So, it would make sense that he’d feel a certain animosity towards any of Liam’s dates. But just because it appeared to be the truth didn’t mean he enjoyed it.

“I hate you.”

“Yeah, yeah, love you too, mate.” Niall grinned, taking another slurp from his drink as Louis pushed his way out the door.

He needed to call Harry and see about inviting Zayn over for dinner again.

\---

It was just another drizzly, grey Saturday much like the thousand others Louis had seen before. Not that he was complaining. Because he wasn’t. He quite enjoyed Saturdays, in fact, especially since that was the day that he and Liam would near always go out to play some footie at a close by park. It was just that it was turning out to be a _particularly_ wet day as far as Saturdays went and even though he and Liam were all for braving the weather for their weekly playing, the forecast called for storms into the night and Harry still had that stupid old bike and a meeting downtown in the evening.

And, being Harry Styles, he had of course refused all offers of getting a ride to his destination.

But Louis forced those thoughts to the back of his mind as he and Liam ran across the cropped grass of the park, not having to worry about running into children since most of them were stuck indoors on such rainy days.

Liam had never been one of those children.

When rain came, Harry would immediately scoop his boy up and dress him in boots and a slicker, plop him outside and laugh as mud and water were splashed across his legs from Liam’s stomping feet. Louis had usually stayed inside and prepared tea for when they would walk through the door drenched and smiling but in desperate need of a warm bath and a hot cuppa. He had, of course, been drug out a few times.

But those pictures, with his hair wet and his entire frame resembling that of a drowned cat, had been locked away under penalty of death.

He was much more comfortable in his football kit, fabric seemingly made for mud as he barreled through the fat drops plummeting from the sky. Rather than feeling drenched, he felt alive.

Letting out a whoop, he kicked the ball towards the little area between a decrepit shrub and a discarded Gatorade bottle they had denoted as the goal, flopping to the ground moments later with a groan as Liam caught his shot firmly between his gloved hands.

“Nice…try…” Liam called, as even more water seeped through the back of Louis’ shirt and made goosebumps rise along his skin.

“I’m getting old, Liam!” Louis shouted to the sky. “Old!”

Chuckling softly, Liam jogged over to where Louis was splayed out across the ground like a battle-worn starfish and laid down close to his side.

“Maybe…” Liam said, turning his head towards Louis with a kind smile in his eyes that told Louis he wasn’t trying to make a joke. “But…you’re still…pretty…cool…”

Louis smiled fondly at that. “Thanks, babe.”

They both turned in sync to stare up into the pouring rain, faces scrunched as the wetness cooled their skin and threatened to blur their vision.

A few minutes had passed before the first low rumble of thunder met Louis’ ears. It parted the steady hum of the rain like a slow moving boat through the ocean, sending out rippling wakes of sound until fading into nothing.

Louis let out a sigh. “Guess that’s our cue to head home then, huh?” He sat up heavily (he hadn’t been kidding about that old age comment) and let out a groan as his muscles stretched.

Liam, the spry bastard, was already on his feet, one hand held out for Louis to take when he was ready.

“Making me feel even older, Li.” He teased, but took the offered help anyway, both of them wincing as his knees straightened and cracked. Liam let out a muffled giggle. “Oh shut it.”

Liam looked to the side innocently, examining the ball closely as he bounced it in his hand. Louis shook his head. The lad took after him a bit _too_ much in some areas.

Another rumble of thunder broke him from his thoughts and he gestured for Liam to follow him as he began the slow jog back to their building, leaving a trail of mud and laughter all the way from the park to the door. Louis grabbed Liam in one last playful wrestle before pressing the key into the lock and sending them both tumbling into the entryway.

“Well,” he said, half breathless. “Suppose we both need to shower and have something to eat, yeah?”

Liam nodded as he toed off his shoes.

“Alright, then you go get cleaned up and I’ll start on…something.” Liam threw him a dubious glance and Louis shrugged. “There might be something in the freezer I can heat up, a little trust please.”

Liam started off down the hall with one last smile and shake of his head and Louis let out a sigh before calling after him. “And you better save me some hot water!”

Louis’ answer was the sound of the bathroom door and he shook his head fondly as he made his way towards the kitchen. He was pretty sure he’d snuck some frozen chicken nuggets into the back of the freezer a couple weeks ago. Pushing aside a bag of peas (used for treating bruises rather than actual eating) and a box of ice lollies (because no matter how grown up you were you were never too grown up for those), he reached his prize in the back left corner of the freezer box, plastic packaging encrusted in a thin layer of white flakes.

He pulled out a baking sheet from the cupboard beside the oven and moved to open the bag, frowning a bit when he noticed the seal had already been broken. He knew he hadn’t eaten any, he doubted Liam was naughty enough to try and sneak some, and Harry wouldn’t go near the processed, deep-fried ‘artery cloggers’ if you paid him. Opening the bag, he felt a smile start to tug at the corners of his mouth as he pulled out a plastic bag with a small piece of paper inside.

Louis,

Please do not think you are getting away with something here. And these had better be paired with at least two vegetables and a fruit.

xoxo, Harry

Louis laughed out loud and pulled out his phone, shooting off a quick photo and text. ‘ _Green beans, carrots and grapes. Does that meet your approval?’_

He had time to get the nuggets in the oven and finish washing the vegetables before his phone buzzed with a response.

_That will do._

He sent back a smiley with its tongue sticking out then put his phone away, knowing he should probably have all of his focus at hand when he started cutting the vegetables, lest he chop off a finger by accident.

Humming lightly under his breath, he managed to get everything all ready without losing any blood or sanity and by the time Liam sauntered in wearing a pair of loose joggers and a towel slung over his head, all that was left to do was wait for the timer to go off for the chicken and boil the green beans.

Louis told Liam as much and the boy nodded at him in understanding before flopping down into his chair at the table, legs thrown out in front of him and eyes fixed on the oven. “Don’t strain yourself, Li.” Louis teased, starting the water to boil before walking over to ruffle the towel over Liam’s mop of hair.

“Lou…” Liam whined, voice petulant but body giving him away as he leaned into Louis’ touch.

Louis poked at his cheek. “What? Need me to dry your hair for you like when you were little?” He had said it as a joke but the way Liam looked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes had Louis’ entire face softening and his fingers working the towel more efficiently into Liam’s curls. “Alright fine,” he huffed. “But that means you’re going to have to mop up the puddles I’ve dripped all over the floor.”

Grunting his agreement, Liam pushed his head further into Louis’ stomach like some kind of overgrown, nestling puppy and closed his eyes in contentment as Louis continued drying his hair.

When the towel was too damp to really be doing any good, Louis tossed it over his shoulder and threaded his fingers through Liam’s hair, combing through it a few times before pulling away. “Alright, well I’ll be back in a few. Don't forget to put the green beans in and clean up the floor.” Liam nodded and Louis ducked down to press as quick kiss to the top of his head.

He hurried through his shower even though the warm water felt glorious on his cold, pruny skin and before long he was stepping out of a cloud of steam and into a pair of pajama pants, doing a cursory drying of his own hair before padding back into the kitchen.

Liam had done his part so they were able to sit down to eat as soon as Louis arrived, exchanging mischievous smirks as they ate their nuggets like some kind of thieves.

When their plates were empty, Louis sent Liam into the living room to get a movie set up while he loaded the dishwasher, grinning when he heard the opening credits for Toy Story and the sound of Liam’s buzz lightyear action figure proclaiming ‘ _To infinity and beyond!’._ Loki let out an excited bark and when Louis finally finished up in the kitchen and headed for the couch the little dog was already curled up at Liam’s side. Louis plopped himself down on Liam’s opposite and propped his feet up on the coffee table, stealing a pillow from behind Liam’s shoulders and snuggling down to enjoy the film as rain continued to pelt against the window in a hypnotic, drowsy rhythm.

So he’d blame it on that, really, when he ended up falling asleep before the movie was even halfway over, Liam’s breathing heavy and even by his side.

-

It was pitch black outside when Louis next woke, jolted from his sleep by a sudden crack of thunder and Loki’s frantic barking. Rubbing a hand across his face and glancing around the room, he noticed Liam was nowhere to be seen.

He smiled fondly at the blanket tucked around his shoulders as he stood but made his way quickly to the boy’s room, Loki at his heels as he pushed open the door.

Liam was sitting up in bed with wide eyes, phone clutched in his hands as he stared at the shadows moving outside his window. The mattress dipped as Louis took a seat by Liam’s side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“It’s okay, Li.” He whispered. “It’s okay to be scared. But I’m here, yeah? I’ve got you.”

“Where’s…dad…?” Liam asked, voice choked and wet. Louis smoothed a hand down his back.

“I’m sure he found a hotel someplace downtown. He’s probably sprawled out across the covers snoring like a caveman as we speak.”

Liam managed a small smile but Louis could still tell he was worried, his bottom lip being tortured between his teeth.

“But I could try to call him, if you’d like?”

Liam nodded helplessly so Louis dug in his pocket for his own phone, dialing Harry’s number and holding it to his ear, praying Harry hadn’t turned it to silent during one of his meetings.

Near the fourth ring, some crackling and shuffling came over the line, followed by a groggy, “Hello?”

“Hey Hazza,” Louis whispered fondly, nodding at Liam’s anxious expression. “You staying at a hotel then?”

“Yeah…Didn’t want to get caught in the storm.” Harry yawned. “Something wrong?”

“No, everything’s fine. Mind talking to Liam for a minute though?”

“Course not,” Harry replied, sounding much more alert.

Louis handed the phone over to Liam and listened as the two exchanged a quiet conversation, mostly one sided as Liam clutched tightly to the receiver. Petting his fingers through Liam’s hair, he felt more than saw the tension drain from his shoulders and by the time Liam mumbled a last, “Night, dad” and handed the phone back to Louis, his breathing had returned to normal as well.

“All good then?” Louis asked, pushing a few errant curls back from Liam’s face.

Liam nodded. “Yeah…thanks…”

“Course, babe.” Louis leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Liam’s cheek. “Anything for you.” Then, taking only a short moment to consider, he let his face slip into a grin before leaning back to meet Liam’s wary expression.

“So…” he hedged, lifting his eyebrows playfully. “You want to build a fort?”

Liam huffed and rolled his eyes, but a smile crept at his lips as he swung his legs out of bed. “Course…” he replied. “Got to…have front…row seats…for the superheroes…playing…right?”

Louis hopped up from the bed and held open the door, grinning madly as Liam walked by with an armful of blankets. “You bet your ass we do.”

\---

“Babe?” Louis called, head tipped over the back of the couch as he listened to Harry moving around in their bedroom. “Did I leave my phone in there?”

There was a moment of silence and then a muted, “Yeah, on the nightstand. Want me to bring it out to you?”

“That’d be great, yeah. No rush though.” Louis called back, righting himself and unmuting the television to continue watching the crime show he had found. He wasn’t really watching, his mind busy mulling over other things, but he felt the need to have it on nonetheless.

It helped him to feel slightly less panicked when he started thinking about Liam and…the boy. Zayn. Their first dinner together had been nice, if not a bit awkward, and Louis had resolved to be opened minded about the whole endeavor. But then had come the second dinner, and the third, and Liam staying out late on weekends to go to the cinema or the park or just ‘hang out’.

And Louis knew what that meant.

He had been a teenager once, a young lad riddled with hormonal urges and perverted thoughts, and it made him wince each time Liam walked out the door with a smile on his face. Because he knew, he _knew,_ and it was driving him insane.

It was disturbing and terrifying all at once, to imagine Liam in _those_ kinds of situations. And in reality they probably hadn’t done anything yet since Liam was the type to take things slow and they hadn’t reached a point yet where Zayn couldn’t meet Louis’ eyes over dinner. So at least he only had to worry about easy things like hugging and hand holding and maybe the occasional snog. That didn’t make it any less weird though.

And he had still tried to buy Liam a can of mace the last time they were at the store, but Harry had fixed him with a look as soon as he saw what was in Louis’ hand and sent him to put it back. And he had gone…straight to the register and bought it himself. (He’d never given it to Liam though. It was still sitting beneath a pile of his socks in his bottom dresser drawer.)

“What’re you watching?” Harry asked, his voice coming from just over Louis’ shoulder.

Some dodgy looking old guy was crying on screen and Louis let out a sigh. “I’ve no idea.” He admitted.

“Alright,” Harry said slowly, easily picking up on Louis’ mood. “What’re you thinking about, then?”

Louis tilted his head back into the cushions again and got an upside-down view of Harry’s concerned face. He lifted a hand and poked at one of his cheeks.

Harry caught his hand. “Lou…”

“It’s nothing, yeah? Just thinking about Liam again, can’t stop worrying about him.” Louis shrugged and let out a sigh. “I know it’s stupid. Zayn seems like a great guy.”

Squeezing the hand in his grasp, Harry slipped his fingers just beneath the collar of Louis’ shirt, rubbing soothingly at the skin there before shaking his head. “It’s not stupid. It just means you care.”

“Yeah I guess,” Louis mumbled, becoming rapidly distracted by Harry’s calloused fingers against his chest.

Harry smiled down at him knowingly.

“Babe?” Louis called, voice soft and eyes halfway closed as he stared up into Harry’s face.

Harry’s thumb stroked at the scruff along Louis’ jaw. “Yeah?” He answered.

“Take my pants off?”

Harry let out a snort but released Louis’ hand, leaning across the couch to grab the remote and shut off the TV. When he pulled back, he put both hands on Louis’ shoulders. “Well, I could…” He said, voice trailing off as he glanced down to meet Louis’ eyes, something predatory and a little disarming in their depths. “Or we could take this back to our room and really have some fun.”

Louis was up out of his seat in an instant, not wasting any time walking round the couch and just jumping over the back instead, using a hand on one of Harry’s solid shoulders to vault him into the air.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Harry laughed, hand already reaching forward to tangle with Louis’ as they made their way down the hall.

\---

“Oh my fucking god. Harry Styles!” Louis yelled, half upside down and hanging off the edge of the mattress, Harry’s thighs tight around his waist the only thing keeping him from tumbling off.

“What do you say, Lou?” Harry asked, voice dark as his hands assaulted Louis’ skin.

Louis let out a frustrated groan and squirmed even harder, grunting at the effort. “Fucking h-”

“Holy fucking shit,” a voice yelped, startling both Louis and Harry from their battle as they turned to stare at a very red-faced Luke standing in their door.

“Yes?” Louis asked, sure he looked absolutely ridiculous with his hair hanging down and his face beet red from the blood rush. “Can we help you?”

“I-” Luke stammered. “What the hell are you two doing?”

Harry blinked, Louis lifted an eyebrow. “What does it look like we’re doing?” Seeing the blank look on Luke’s face, Louis let out a sigh before quickly explaining. “This idiot said my sock folding was terrible so of course I retaliated with an underwear cannonball and then he lunged and there was some wrestling involved and now we’re here.”

Luke continued staring for a few more moments before shaking his head and slowly turning and walking out of the room. A minute later, the front door slammed shut.

Harry and Louis looked at the door, then back to each other.

“Why did we give them keys again?” Louis asked.

Harry shrugged. “In case of emergencies.”

“Ah yes, emergencies, because Liam forgetting his toothpaste or Calum wanting to borrow our copy of Iron Man 2 definitely constitute as emergencies.”

Harry shrugged again then seemed to remember himself, hands once again creeping towards Louis’ armpits.

“No, please,” Louis begged. “Please, mercy. No more.”

Harry’s expression softened and he sat back a bit on his haunches, just enough for Louis to break out into a wicked grin and launch himself forward, using all of his momentum to send them tumbling back onto the bed. They ended up tangled together in an awkward puzzle of limbs but Louis’ chest was pinning Harry’s to the mattress so he considered it his victory and quickly maneuvered so that he was straddling Harry’s thighs and holding his wrists down on either side of his head.

“Ha,” Louis grinned smugly and stared down at Harry’s surprised face, reveling in the moment for a bit before leaning down to press their foreheads together. “Got you.”

The room was silent for a beat, something warm and heavy settling around them. Then Harry took in a breath.

“Marry me.”

Louis’ eyes blinked open in shock. “Wh-What?”

He leaned back in order to gauge Harry’s expression but the eyes staring back at him were completely serious. “Marry me.” Harry repeated.

“But- I- _What_?”

“Well,” Harry said, looking up at Louis with an expression that was sending Louis’ heart into palpitations, his palms suddenly sweaty against Harry’s wrists. “Technically, I’d want you to ask me. So I suppose I should say that.”

“Harry,” Louis breathed. “I- You know I-” He swallowed thickly and buried his head into the crook of Harry’s shoulder. “You know I can’t, Harry.” He whispered.

And as much as it pained him to admit, it was true. Not because of anything between them. Or because his love wasn’t strong enough. No, nothing like that. Nothing like that at all. In fact, sometimes it scared him just how much love he and Harry had for each other. But this wasn’t just about them. Because it wouldn’t be just their lives that were affected, there was Liam too.

“I want to so much, Harry. But I can’t, at least not right now.”

Harry let out a sigh and went limp beneath Louis’ body. “Louis, he’s not going t-” He cut himself off and took a breath, starting again. “But, someday? Someday you’ll- we’ll…definitely?”

“Promise,” Louis whispered, pressing a kiss to Harry’s neck to seal the deal.

\---

Louis glanced at his watch, fingers drumming on the steering wheel as he waited for Liam to finally emerge from the house. He knew he had told Liam to be ready at ten, but the clock on his dash read 10:07pm and Liam was never late. So either he was going to have to make use of that baseball bat he kept stored in the back seat or the apocalypse was coming.

There was a possibility Liam had just lost track of time, but that would entail Liam being distracted. And considering he was sitting outside _Zayn’s_ house of all people, that wasn’t really an option he wanted to consider. At all.

Time ticked by and Louis’ face started to contort into a frown.

Having sat there for ten minutes already and knowing he’d promised Harry he’d do the dishes before going to bed (and ten minutes was more than enough time for any kind of _clean up_ if you asked him), he leaned to the side to pry his phone from his back pocket and quickly dialed Liam’s number.

It rang twice before Liam picked up.

“Lou?” He asked.

“Hey, I’m out here whenever you’re ready.” Louis said, trying to keep his voice level.

“Oh…,” Liam sounded confused for a moment and then guilty. “I’m…sorry…I didn’t…look at…the time…”

He turned away from the phone for a moment and Louis could hear a muffled. _‘Zayn?’_  He tapped his fingers on the dashboard as he waited. (Lest they get away and strangle someone.)

_‘Yeah? What’s up?’_

_’My dad…is here…’_

Louis’ hand froze mid motion, entire body going still as his mind went into overdrive.

_‘Alright, I’ll walk you to the door.’_

The line crackled and then Liam’s voice was back into focus. “I’ll…be right…there…”

Louis managed to squeak out some form of response before clicking off his phone with numb fingers, everything still feeling stark and out of focus. Because Liam had never- And he was- And then to Zayn-

Louis’ entire world was spinning.

Something suspiciously like a whimper escaped his lips and he nearly jolted out of his skin when he heard a rap at the passenger side window. He quickly unlocked the door and glanced over as Liam slid into place beside him.

He could see Zayn standing at the doorway for a moment, probably checking to make sure Liam got in safely (something Louis had to give him credit for), before the boy disappeared back inside and the front lights went out.

Louis drew in a breath. “Liam?”

The boy shifted anxiously next to him, probably wondering why they hadn’t pulled away yet and nervous that maybe he was in trouble for being late. “…Yeah?”

“I- You said-” Louis stammered. (But in his defense, he was probably going into shock.) “I’m your dad?” He finally got out, voice soft and eyes wide as he turned to gauge Liam’s expression.

“Of…course…” Liam responded, brow furrowed in confusion. “I thought…you knew? I mean…it’s…obvious?”

Louis’ mind was reeling. “But I- You’ve always just called me Lou. And I mean, that’s fine. But I just-”

Liam gave him a look that had his mouth snapping shut, a mixture of annoyance, frustration, and something much softer that Louis had apparently been oblivious to until he realized what to look for. And oh, Harry was going to have a field day with this.

“ _Dad_ ,” Liam sighed. “You’re…an idiot…”

Louis let out a breath, slumping back into his seat as his world slid slightly back into focus. He was still a little stunned and a lot breathless, his entire body buzzing with warmth and barely restrained energy, but he knew it wasn’t the time or place for him to have a freak out over it. So he took a breath, and filed that particular reaction away for later.

Which meant Liam got the immature, sassy Louis that was left over. And he _had_ just been called an idiot.

“Hey, rude!” He accused, pointing a finger at his son (his _son_ and holy fuck he could officially say that for real and okay maybe he hadn’t filed it all away so sue him). “Don’t sass me.”

“I’m…seventeen…thought you said…thirteen was…cut off?” Liam lifted one eyebrow like the smug bastard he was and Louis could only huff and shake his head, stammering out some half-assed reply before starting the car and pulling out into the street.

 _Dad._ He was a fucking _dad._

\---

“Lou…?” Liam asked, voice soft beneath the din of clinking dishes and Harry’s muffled singing.

They were sitting in a corner table at Harry’s shop, waiting in the half-light as Harry finished closing up for the day so they could go out for a family dinner. Liam was sitting across from him in a pressed button-up and chinos, white converse scuffing at the ground as he chewed on his lip.

“Yeah, babe?” Louis asked. He tugged at the collar of his jumper and stifled a sigh. He’d have much rather worn a button-up like Liam, but Harry insisted he wear something different than his usual business attire. Which meant he was stuck looking like every other middle-aged father on the planet. It made him feel ridiculously old and uncool, like he should start making horrible puns or complain about the state of the economy. (It didn’t help that Harry was dressed in some kind of patterned silk shirt and dark skinny jeans. Making Louis look even older while he looked like a model, or _himself_ at the very least.) Louis tugged at his shirt again, glancing up to check on Liam when the younger boy remained silent. “Liam?” He asked again.

Liam’s eyes flickered up and he opened his mouth to speak, then abruptly stopped and glanced towards where Harry was still moving around in the kitchen. He leaned across the table towards Louis and Louis followed suit. “Lou…” He tried again. “Can I ask… you something?”

“Course,” Louis whispered back, not sure exactly why they were whispering but more than willing to go along with it. Especially since whispering usually meant a prank, or a secret, or something else of an amusing and mischievous nature.

“When…are you and…dad…getting married?”

Or not.

Louis’ mind blanked and he spluttered for a moment before pulling away and staring at Liam with wide eyes. “Wh-What? Why in the world would you ask that? Where did that even _come_ from?”

Liam shrugged. “Just…wondering…”

Louis let out a sigh. “Liam…” He started.

There was a crash from the kitchen and they both glanced at the doorway anxiously, relaxing when Harry’s singing resumed after a hurried shout of, “All good!”

They turned back to each other and Louis swallowed at the determined set to Liam’s jaw. He was serious about this, then, and Louis had no idea why.

“Liam, honestly, where did this come from? You’ve never asked about it before and your father and I have never brought it up. What’s going on?”

“Just tell me…why you…haven’t asked…”

Louis ran a hand over his face, trying to think of something to say (because how do you explain to a teenager that you haven’t married their father yet because of all of the ins and outs of name changes and guardianship rights), but Liam beat him to it.

“It’s…me, isn’t…it?”

Louis opened his mouth to say something but apparently the look on his face said enough.

“That’s…what I thought…”

They were silent for a moment, Louis praying Harry didn’t walk out into the middle of the conversation and Liam rubbing his thumb against an imaginary smudge on the tabletop.

Liam chewed at his lip. “I…was thinking…” He took a shaky breath and started picking at his nails. “How…you always think…about me first…but…” he swallowed and glanced up at Louis. “You didn’t…know that I…do the same…”

Louis opened his mouth to argue but Liam shook his head and cut him off.

“You didn’t know…that I consider…you my…dad, too…” Liam got quieter and Louis looked down at his hands. Because he couldn’t argue with that. “I’ve always…” he continued. “Thought of us…as a family…A piece of…paper…won’t change…anything…but it’d…be nice for…dad…” He smiled wryly as Louis lifted his eyes. “He really…wants you to…ask, you…know?”

“Yeah,” Louis exhaled on a laugh. “Yeah trust me, I know.”

“So, why…haven’t you…?”

“Because you’re not eighteen yet, Liam.” Louis said softly. “You’re not a legal adult, you don’t have autonomy. You wouldn’t have a say. And if I married your father, he’d want me to obtain joint guardianship with him. And we’d have to talk about name changes, who was adopting whose name and Harry said he wanted something to be hyphenated which means we’d either have to get your name changed as well or you’d just have a different last name than us and that gets into a lot of paper work and we didn’t want you to be uncomfortable and so I just figured it’d be best to wait. Even though Harry keeps whining and now you’re giving me that face and I don’t even know anymore.” He let out a groan and buried his face in his hands.

Harry’s cheerful singing was entirely out of place in the awkward atmosphere that had settled between Louis and Liam at the table. Liam’s feet had stopped their scuffing but his fingers were still smudging at the tabletop, and Louis would bet money that the lad was currently chewing at his lip as well.

Heaving a sigh, he glanced back up between his fingers to meet Liam’s eyes. “I’ve mucked everything up, haven’t I?”

“Lou…” Liam whispered, then stood up, coming around the table to sit down at Louis’ side, moving close so that their sides were pressed together and Liam could rest his head on Louis’ shoulder. “I think…you think too…much…”

“Maybe,” Louis admitted. He reached out and took Liam’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “So I guess this means me, you, and your father all need to have a talk.”

Liam shook his head slowly. “No…just you…two…” He tugged at Louis’ hand playfully and pushed his head into Louis’ neck. “I don’t know…anything…about this…I’ll be so…surprised when…you ask…him…”

“Oh, I see how it is.” Louis laughed. “Just give me a pep talk and then throw me out into the battlefield for the slaughter.”

Liam huffed exasperatedly. “You already…know he’ll say…yes…You have…it easy…”

Something in Liam’s tone had Louis lifting an eyebrow and nudging at Liam’s side. “As compared to you, huh? Got your eye on someone yourself then? You and Zayn are too young to be thinking about marriage.”

Liam buried his face into Louis’ shoulder and turned to twist his free hand into the fabric of his shirt.

Louis chuckled lightly, giving Liam’s hand another squeeze. “Alright, alright, I’ll not tease you about it, at least not for now. You can’t expect me to just give you a free pass with the whole dating thing. It’s practically in my job description you know, as your dad.” His voice caught a bit on the word and he felt Liam tense against him before relaxing again, pulling Louis closer by the hold on his shirt.

“Well,” Harry’s voice suddenly said from above them, startling them both. “It looks like you two have gotten a head start on the family bonding part of the evening.” He stroked a hand through Liam’s curls and exchanged a quick look with Louis, eyes searching before softening when Louis gave him a little nod and smile, _everything’s fine._ “But I’m all finished up in here if you two are ready to go.”

Louis gave Liam’s hand a final squeeze. “Ready to go, babe?”

Liam nodded and they both stood, hands untangling as they slid away from the table. Harry’s hand immediately took Liam’s place, long fingers covering Louis’ own as they made their way to the door. Liam stayed a step behind until they were outside then came forward to slip a finger into Harry’s belt loop, using it as an anchor as they made their way through the streets. Louis focused on the feel of Harry’s hand against his own, thought about what it would be like if the cool press of metal was there as well. He glanced back at Liam and smiled. “Thanks, Liam. You’re a real superhero, yeah?”

Liam smiled back gently, eyes just barely crinkling at the edges.

Harry looked between both of them curiously. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing,” Louis assured, tipping his head up to catch Harry in a quick kiss as they walked along, getting the side of his mouth more than anything but Harry smiled nonetheless.

Louis couldn’t wait to see that smile from down on one knee, velvet box in hand. They’d waited long enough because of his worries and now that they were out of the way he couldn’t wait to fulfill the chance to make Harry happy.

\---

“You two want to what now?” Louis asked with a furrowed brow.

He was sitting in the living room, leaning forward on the couch with his elbows propped on his knees and the TV on mute in the background. Liam and Zayn were stood in front of him, Liam’s hand held firmly in Zayn’s and a determined look in the older boy’s eyes. Harry patted his knee once from his spot beside him.

“I think it sounds like a brilliant idea.”

“I didn’t say I was against it,” Louis sighed. “Just, any reason behind it? Is this just a trend or something? Because it’s great you two want to exercise or whatever but boxing lessons cost money and jogging is free. So, is there a specific reason for the boxing or…?”

Liam started chewing at his lip, eyes going to the floor as his fingers started to clench and unclench nervously at his side. Zayn gave his hand a squeeze, thumb bushing over the backs of his knuckles before clearing his throat. “Boxing is, like, a proper sport. And it’s good for other things too, kind of like self-defense.”

Louis’ eyebrows lifted and he and Harry exchanged a glance. “Well,” Harry said, standing. “I’m all for it but I think Lou might still need some convincing. Maybe we can discuss it more over dinner, yeah? Liam, come help me get the dishes set, please.”

Harry held out an arm and wrapped it around his son’s shoulders as the boy left Zayn’s grasp to head towards the kitchen. The door shut softly behind them and Louis waited until Harry had flipped on the radio and started singing along before turning to face Zayn.

“Self-defense?” He asked. “Why would that need to be a concern of yours?”

Zayn opened his mouth to respond but Louis cut him off to warn, “Answer wisely, I don’t appreciate lying in these kinds of situations.”

“Course not,” Zayn agreed. “I think you already know Liam gets, like, bullied sometimes, though. I just thought this would be good for him, bulk up a bit, give him some confidence. It might get some of the other kids to leave him alone as well.”

Louis nodded. “We’ll have to find a gym, talk to an instructor.”

“Yeah, I know. He doesn’t want to be in a group.” He scratched absently at his arm, eyes falling away from Louis’ face. “Actually, he wasn’t so sure about this at all. I had to convince him.” He looked back up and Louis could see the insecurity in his eyes. “Do you think, like, it’s a good idea or should I just leave it be?”

“I think,” Louis sighed. “I think it’s a good idea, but it’s going to be more involved than exercising with a friend. You’re going to have to be there for him, the instructor is going to have to be understanding. But it’s doable, and I think you’re right about the confidence thing. So don’t worry, we’ll take care of things on this end, you just keep us posted, yeah?”

Zayn nodded. “Yeah, I will. Thanks.”

Louis stood and walked over to clap a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Just be good to him, yeah?”

“Always,” Zayn promised, sounding slightly offended that Louis would even feel the need to ask (which honestly reassured Louis more than Zayn’s actual response).

They started to make their way for the kitchen but were stopped when the phone started ringing, causing Louis to take a detour to answer the call.

“Hello?”

“Tommo!” Niall yelled, nearly breaking Louis’ eardrums in the process.

Holding the phone delicately away from himself, Louis carefully responded, “Hello to you too, Niall.” He nodded his head for Zayn to go on ahead and the boy nodded before disappearing into the kitchen, greeted by a few barks from Loki that soon quieted. “What can I help you with?”

“Oh no, mate,” Niall chuckled. “I’m helping _you._ ”

Louis’ brow furrowed. “What are you on about? Have you been drinking or something? It’s hardly even six, Niall, for fucks sake.”

“Wrong again,” Niall laughed. “I’m actually at the jewelers right now.”

“Shit,” Louis hissed, turning his back towards the kitchen and ducking his head as if that would magically keep the conversation more secret. “Are you serious? Are they finished, then?”

“Yup, I drove over as soon as the notification came in and they’re gorgeous, mate.”

“The notif- how in the hell did you get my notifications?” He asked, then shook his head. “Never mind, I don’t want to know. Just, you have them then? And you’re going to keep them safe until…well, until you know when, right?”

“Course, that’s what mates are for.”

“Thanks, Niall.” Louis sighed. “I owe you.”

“You owe me for _life_ ,” Niall said. “I’m fucking cupid.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re fantastic. Now go home and hide those things, cupid, before something happens.”

Niall snorted. “Aye aye, captain.”

The phone clicked off and Louis rolled his eyes while he replaced the phone in its holder. Niall was a handful, but he was right as well. If it hadn’t been for him, he and Harry might not have ever gotten together. He had been a good friend to both of them through the years, helped look after Liam, and managed to set up some kind of online advertising thing for Harry’s shop.

If it wasn’t for Niall Horan, Louis’ life could’ve been completely different.

Instead of an empty apartment and a freezer dinner, Louis had a warm house and a home-cooked meal.

Instead of being alone, he had a beautiful family: a son, and a soon to be fiancé.

\---

“Okay, is everyone ready?” Louis asked, he looked around the room and had to stop himself from pulling out his hair at what he saw. “Calum, get your head out of the bucket! Niall, stop encouraging him! Michael and Ashton, what the fuck are you even…No, no, I don’t want to know.” He shook his head then turned to Luke with a pleading expression. “Do something with them, please?”

Luke shrugged. “Controlling them is like controlling a hurricane. I’ve stopped trying.”

Louis groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m fucked. I’m so fucked. This is just going to be a complete mess. I should just cut the crap and go out and do it now.”

He headed for the door but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. “C’mon, mate. We’ll settle down, yeah? So just, deep breaths.”

Louis did as Niall instructed, taking a deep breath before blowing it out again.

“Better?”

“Yeah,” Louis sighed. “Yeah, better. Thanks. Are we ready then? Should I go out to Harry and Liam?”

“Yeah, I’d say we’re as ready as we’re going to get.”

“Encouraging,” Louis said. “Well, let’s do this then.” Pushing out of the door, he made his way to the living room to where Harry and Liam were sitting on the couch. Liam smiled at him knowingly and Harry beamed.

“Are you ready then? I’m excited to see the performance.” Harry put an arm around his son’s shoulders. “I’m so proud of you, setting up this project all by yourself.”

Liam bit his lip and turned away, coming off as shy even though Louis could tell he was really trying to hold back laughter. Louis cleared his throat.

“Yes, well, if you’re ready with the camera, Liam, we can get started.”

Liam grabbed the camera at his side and flipped it on, aiming it at both Louis and Harry for a moment before turning it to himself. “A Special…Surprise…” He pointed it back to the front and Louis gathered all of his confidence before beginning.

“Once upon a time, in a mystical kingdom far, far away…”

Louis let his mind go blank as he continued his narration, telling the story of two kings and a prince while the other boys acted it out. The royals had met by fate and overcome many obstacles on their journey. But with the help of their brave knights and the court jester, had achieved their happily ever after.

“Except for one thing…” Louis said dramatically, trying to ignore the way Harry was already tearing up and not entirely succeeding. “For one of the kings was a royal idiot, and required a firm talking to by the prince in order to see what was right in front of his face.”

The prince, played by Luke, mimed hitting the stupid king, played by Calum, upside the head. Then Calum pretended to have a revelation. Harry let out a choked laugh.

Palms sweating, Louis cleared his throat to deliver his final lines. “For there was one thing left for the two kings to do, with the prince’s blessing, in order to have their perfecthappily ever after. A _marriage_ was in order.”

Harry’s eyes grew wide as Louis approached then disappeared behind tears as Louis took a knee and pulled a ring box from his back pocket, opening it up in Harry’s direction.

“Harry Edward Styles, would you help me finish this fairytale? Would you marry me?”

Harry sucked in a breath and stared down at Louis in shock, then suddenly launched himself from the sofa and onto Louis, sending them both toppling to the floor in a tangle of limbs and searching mouths. “Yes. Yes. Yes!” He said between kisses. “A thousand times, yes.”

Louis laughed into Harry’s mouth and let his shoulders fall the rest of the way to the ground, not caring that he was being crushed beneath an overexcited mass of now fiancé. Harry’s hands came up to frame his face and hold him in place as Harry’s lips worked at his own, kissing him completely senseless right there on the floor. In front of a rather unfortunate audience. But all of that was forgotten when Harry moaned contentedly into his mouth and licked at his bottom lip.

He let out a muffled groan in response and soon Harry’s tongue was in his mouth, making his mind go even fuzzier. And holy _fuck_ why hadn’t he done this sooner?

\---

It was time.

Thirteen fucking years and it was finally time.

He almost couldn’t believe it. Except the uncomfortable suits, artfully placed flowers, and over abundance of relatives made a compelling argument that it was, in fact, happening.

Fucking hell.

Louis swallowed nervously and prayed he wouldn’t sweat through his suit jacket. Or look gross. Pictures were going to be taken and he was determined not to look like a sweaty mess for any of them. Not that that was going to be an issue for Harry, the bastard had a knack for looking good no matter the situation. And even if he got a little wind blown or rumpled, he made it look purposeful. Unlike Louis, who just ended up looking disheveled. Or like he’d lost a battle with a hair dryer.

A hand suddenly landed on his shoulder and broke the downward spiral of his thoughts, redirecting him instead to his best man who was grinning at him with a bemused expression.

“How’re you holding up there, Tommo?” Niall asked. He looked perfectly unruffled in his slate gray suit and ice blue button up combo. Louis wanted to punch him.

Before he could so much as offer a scathing remark, however, there was a knock at the door and Liam poked his head in.

“Ah, Leemo, perfect timing. I think Lou here’s about to give himself a hernia.” Niall gave Louis’ shoulder another pat then held on and shook him a bit. “Stiff as a board, this one. You’d think we were about to walk him to his execution, not down the aisle.”

“Oh fuck off,” Louis scoffed, rolling his shoulders and checking his watch for the five hundredth time that day. It was two minutes to three, almost time to start, and Louis could feel his heart rate pick up that much more.

“He’s…excited too…” Liam smiled, coming to stand at Louis’ side and nudge him with his shoulder. “I bet…he’ll run down…the aisle…”

Louis smiled tightly in return. “Yeah, well, let’s just hope he’s running in the right direction.” He bounced on his feet nervously. He was an energetic person to begin with, and that paired with nerves and a healthy dose of anticipation made it impossible for him to stand still.

“Lou…” Liam chastised softly. “You know…dad loves…you…”

“Yeah,” Louis blew out a breath, forcing himself to relax enough to run a hand through Liam’s shortened hair (still silently mourning the loss of the boy’s curls) and brush a bit of dog hair from his jacket. “Yeah, I know.”

Suddenly, a rather harried looking Calum burst through the door. “Uh, it’s time guys. Luke says we need to be in position, like, _now._ ”

Louis felt himself freeze but a gentle push from Liam got him going and then Niall had him by the arm, leading him carefully forward before depositing him by his mother’s side as soon as he was out the door. His mom gave his hand a squeeze before tucking her own in the crook of his arm, settling them in line for their walk down the aisle.

He could hear music playing from just around the corner and the rest of their wedding party began filing in, followed by Gemma (as the slightly reluctant and over-aged flower girl) and Liam as the ring-bearer. Then it was his turn. His mom gently tugged him forward and then they were out in the open, under the eyes of all of their family and friends gathered in the open grass of Harry’s favorite park.

Before he knew it, he was at the end of his short walk and his mom was pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before retreating to her seat in the front row. The audience spared a brief moment to watch the exchange then everyone was turning again to watch as the last two people came down the aisle: Harry, and his mother Anne.

As soon as the pair rounded the corner into view, Louis was stunned breathless. Harry looked absolutely amazing. He was wearing a traditional black suit like Louis’ but instead of the ocean blue of Louis’ button up, Harry’s was a vibrant green. He looked sharp, and fit, and handsome as he made his way towards Louis at the front of the gathering. He never once stopped smiling the entire time and it made Louis’ heart want to soar.

Then, finally, Harry was standing right in front of him and Louis couldn’t find it in himself to look anywhere else. Harry seemed to have the same idea. The pastor had to delicately clear his throat to garner either of their attention.

And then the ceremony was underway. It was short, sweet, and to the point, but filled with all of the love and care they had for one another. When it came time to exchange rings, Liam stepped forward, his cream suit and purple button up specifically chosen as a way to make sure that everyone knew he was special. He wasn’t wearing green or blue like the rest of the wedding party, color coded to match the groom they stood behind, but a different color entirely, because he was both of their son.

He gave each of his parents an encouraging smile before handing the rings over to the pastor and stepping back out of the way, leaving Louis to focus on the task at hand. He went first, reciting his own vows before slipping the band onto Harry’s finger, reaching up to wipe a few of Harry’s tears away to a chorus of ‘awws’ from the crowd.

Then Harry went, pledging himself to Louis and saying a few things about their life together until Louis was practically in tears himself, hand shaking as Harry gently slid the band into place. They finished out the rest of the ceremony with their eyes locked, only hearing half of what was said as they waited anxiously for the final announcement.

“I now pronounce you Mr. and Mr. Tomlinson-Styles, you may kiss and seal your marriage.”

He and Harry immediately stepped forward, holding each other close as they crushed their lips together, ignoring the hoots and hollers from the audience as they pulled apart until just their foreheads were touching.

“Love you,” Harry murmured, staring into Louis’ eyes with so much happiness Louis couldn’t help but smile in return.

“Love you, too.” He reached up and pressed another quick kiss to Harry’s lips before turning both of them around and lifting their joined hands up to the crowd. Everyone stood and clapped as they made their way back down the aisle, staring at each other like the two lovesick idiots they were the entire way.

Thirteen years later, and they had finally made it.

\---

~epilogue~

\---

“Liam James Tomlinson-Styles, wipe that smirk of your face right now. I am completely serious. I find one trace of –of – _debauchery_ in this house when we get back and I will lock you away in your room until you’re thirty.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry Liam, since you should be using a condom anyway, it’ll be easy to clean. Just make sure to take out the trash and wash the sheets.”

“Harry!”

“Louis!” Harry said back. “And now that we’ve got who we are established, let’s get to the airport. Jamaica here we come!” He grabbed onto his suitcase and took a skip towards the door, pulling Louis along with him.

Louis quickly grabbed his own suitcase before he could be shoved through the door without it. “…Remind me again why I put up with you?”

“Because I’m devilishly handsome and you’re weak to my charms? Oh, and I’m great in bed.” Harry gave him a wink.

“Ah yes, of course.” Louis said, completely deadpan.

Ignoring Louis’ sass, a skill he had all but perfected in their years together, Harry gave Liam a quick peck on the head then swooped out the door. “Bye Liam, be safe!”

“And by safe he means no sex. Don’t even try. I will know.”

“Louis!” Harry yelled from the hall.

“Bye babe, gotta go.” Louis quickly kissed Liam on the cheek then went out the door. “See you in a week!”

“Bye…” Liam called after them. He looked out into the empty entryway and shook his head, listening to the silence before pulling out his phone.

“Hello?”

“Zayn? You can come…over… They’re…gone…”

Down in the car, Louis’ eye twinged and he had no idea why.

\-------

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! And thank you so much for reading^^


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